Class 




Book_i_3Z 

Copyright 1^"^ 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



/ 



Sj2 



THE 

SPORTSMAN'S GUIDE 



TO THE 



NORTHERN LAKES; 



WITH HINTS ON 



FISHING, HUNTING AND TRAPPING 



BY GEORGE FRANCIS, 

AUTHOR OF "LEGENDS OF THE LAND OP LAKES," ETC. 



ILLUSTRATED. 



APR C.J iOi 

CHICAGO 

G. F. THOMAS, PUBLISHER, 

199 South Clark Street. 



COPYRIGHTED 

BY G. P. T HO MAI 

1885. 

All Bights Reserved. 






r 



MIE IICIICII 111 LIIl SIPlilQl 

TRANSPORTATION CO. 



THE GREAT LAKE ROUTE, 

The Tourist's Choice to the Summer Resorts of 

LAKE SUPERIOR, 

THE ONLY LINE OF 

FIRST-CLASS PASSENGER STEAMERS 

Between Chicago, Milwaukee, Mackinaw, Duluth and all inter- 
mediate ports. 

For Safety and Speed unsurpassed ! 

Elegantly furnished cabins and state rooms! 

Magnificent Scenery ! No Malaria! 

A Summer Paradise ! 



For Tourist's Guides and General Information, call or address 

L. M. & L. S. T. CO., 

74 Market St., Chicago. 




SCENES ON LONG LAKE. C, ST P., M. & O. RY. 35 MILES FROM ASHLAND. 



PREFACE 



Fishing and Hunting in the Northern Summer Land, the poetry 
of motion, the music in the air, the thrill, the healthful exercise; 
what exquisite, unutterable joy ! Where is the sportsman, or the 
pleasure tourist out for a week, wiio can resist the temptation to 
shoulder a gun and throw a line? One's mind grows fresher; 
memories bring back the scenes of early youth,— the brooklet, the 
meadow, the silvery lake and the alpine height. Yes ! all of these, 
and myriads of game and tons of fish await your arrival in the 
Northern Wilderness. The great forests of Wisconsin, Michigan 
and Minnesota, bedecked by an infinite number of glistening 
lakes and crystal streams, together form one of the grandest 
pleasure gardens of the world; and there is where our little book 
wishes to guide those who are susceptible. Then, if we should 
inform you only in regard to " Points of Interest," choice localities 
for game and fish and the ways of getting there, you might, if not 
a practical sportsman, fail of "bagging" a single fowd or deer, or 
of catching even a trout. But no ! such is not to be. You wiU find 
your game and will "bag" it too, for we have given you explicit 
instructions and many useful hints for sporting operations. We do 
not claim perfection, or that any one subject cannot be more fully 
treated. We have simply done our best, and hope to be encouraged 
bv those who could, if they Vvould, help the good work along. We 
shall be glad to receive criticisms if any of our readers should 
happen to find us in error regarding any point or subject. Our fund 
of information has been gathered from so many sources that it is 
not at all improbable that some small errors occur. To attempt a 
description of all the desirable points located within the bounds of 
the three States previously mentioned, we find entirely impossible 
in a work of limited scope. Therefore we have arranged in alpha- 
betical order, an "Index to Northern Sporting and Pleasure Re- 
sorts," which will add considerably no doubt to the usefulness of 
our little work. 



PREFACE. IX 



The author, not depending entirely upon his own personal experi- 
ence with reference to game, fish, etc., sought information relating 
to the subject from his many friends and acquaintances throughout 
the northern country. Among the hundreds who responded, we 
are under special obligations to the following named gentlemen: 
First of all, the General Managers and Passenger Agents of the vari- 
ous railway companies, Messrs. Teasdale, Barker, Stennett, Carpen- 
ter, Hair, Winter, Davis, Warren, Ruggles, Lockwood and Whitcomb, 
all of whom rendered valuable assistance in the procurement of relia- 
ble and impartial information; second, but no less important, was 
the assistance contributed by Messrs. H. H. Stafford and T. Mead, of 
Marquette, Messrs. George R. Stuntz, J. H. La Vaque, and G. H. 
White, of Duluth; Hon. Samuel S. Fifield and Messrs. Samuel H. 
Brown and W. R. Durfee, of Ashland; H. C. Putnam, of Eau Claire; 
Capt. Angis and H. A. Murphy, of Bayfield; James Bardon, of 
Superior City; G. A. Wettestein, of Negaunee; the Hon. Henry M. 
Rice and J. Fletcher Williams, of St. Paul; H L. Gordon, of Minne- 
apolis; D, C. Evans, of Mankato; A. S. Diamond, of Excelsior; the 
Hon. John W. Bell, of La Pointe; W. D. Gumaer, of Phillips; Ed. 
C. Coleman, of Rice Lake; David Greenway, of Green Lake; John 
Ellison, of Ellison's Bay; J. C Curren, of Rhinelander; S. J. Brown, 
of Brown's Valley; C. H. Bennett, of Pipestone; Leonard Thomas, 
of Lac Vieux Desert; J. O. Thayer, of Milwaukee; Thomas T, 
Bates, of Traverse City; F. Lawler, of Eagle River; C. A. Merritt, 
of Merritt's Landing; J. W. Mullen, of Taylor's Falls; O. H. Millard, 
of Ontario; Roderick Ross, of Winnipeg; Messrs. W. B. Pearl and N. 
C. Kirk, of Devil's Lake; and last but not least, Messrs. Draper and 
Durrie, of the Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

THE NORTHERN LAKES, general description of the Northern Lakes, ' 
Streams, Forests, etc 1 

ROUTES TO LAKE SUPERIOR ........"................ 5 

HINTS TO TRAVELERS: Railway fare, Excursions, Depots, etc 6 

LAKE SUPERIOR; Duluth, Superior, West Superior, Washburn, Ashland, 
Bayfield, Apostle Islands, Ontonagon, Houghton, Hancock, L'Anse, 
Ishpeming, Negaunee, Marquette and Sault Ste. Marie ' 8 

POINTS OF INTEREST IN WISCONSIN ALONG THE CHICAGO, ST 
PAUL, MINNEAPOLIS & OMAHA RAILWAY: Rice Lake, Red Cedar 
Lake, Lac Court Oreilles, Long Lake (No. 1), Upper St. Croix Lake, etc. 19 

POINTS OF INTEREST ALONG THE WISCONSIN CENTRAL RAIL- 
ROAD: Lake Winnebago, Doty's Island, Waupaca, Phillips, Penokee, 
Silver Creek, etc ' 33 

POINTS OF INTEREST ALONG THE ROUTE TO MARQUETTE OVER 
THE CHICAGO & NORTH-WESTERN RAILWAY: Green Bay, Es- 
canaba, Green Lake, etc 25 

POINTS OF INTEREST ALONG THE MILWAUKEE, LAKE SHORE & 
WESTERN RAILWAY: Sheboygan, Pelican Lake, Rhinelander, Eagle 
Waters, Lac Vieux Desert, State Line, Waters-Meet, Lake Gogebic, etc 37 

POINTS OF INTEREST TO SPORTSMEN IN MINNESOTA; Lake of the 
Woods, Vermilion Lake, Headwaters of the Mississippi, Park Region, 
Minnesota River, etc 31 

ROUTES TO MINNESOTA ......"....[.......[... 33 

POINTS OF INTEREST IN MICHIGAN-LOWER PENINSULA -Routes, 
Grand Traverse Region, Petoskey, Charlevoix, Inland Chain of Lakes, 
Grayling, Cheboygan, Mackinac, Chaneaux Islands, etc 35 

THE ART OF FISHING: Tackle, Baits, etc., for Pike, Pickerel, Perch, 
Trout, Black Bass, etc 41 

FISHING IN THE GREAT LAKES: Pound and giU nets," Winter fishing, 
bobbing, spearing, etc 53 

HOW TO SHOOT WILD GAME: Ducks, Geese, Wood-Cock, Snipe, Part- 
ridge, Grouse, Quail, Loons, Deer, Bear, etc , , . , 57 

TRAPPING; Traps, how to use them.— The Fox, Mink, Musk-rat, Squirrel, 
Skunk, Otter, Beaver, Rabbit, etc 69 

THE ART OF CURING SKINS... .....':'....... 81 

SYNOPSIS OF FISH AND GAME LAWS: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michi- 
gan, Iowa and Dakota 85 

INDEX TO NORTHERN SPORTING AND PLEASURE RESORTS . . . '. . . . . 90 

STATE PARK OF Wli^CONSIN 96 

HINTS FROM AN OLD HUNTER .,,.., 97 



THE NORTHERN LAKES. 



That all may "read our title clear," and that the author may not 
appear as treating a boundless and unlimited territory, the follow- 
ing explanation is vouchsafed: The scope of the present work is 
intended to include, besides the three Great Lakes, Superior, Huron 
and Michigan, a few of the more accessible inland lakes within the 
boundaries of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan. 

There are, it is claimed, within this territory, fully fifteen thous- 
and distinct bodies of water. They are of all sizes, ranging from 
those of many miles in extent down to a mere mill pond, covering a 
few hundred acres. 

The region in which these northern lakes lie nestled is greatly 
diversified in its topography. From scenes of pastoral beautj^, 
lingering amid vast prairies, whose risings and fallings remind one 
of the mighty waves of the ocean, to the forest- girt lake, hidden 
beneath lofty mountains, or the mighty river coursing sublimely 
through some of the grandest of American scenery, all are in- 
cluded within the borders of our northern domain. 

The sportsman can here find that Eldorado he has so long sought 
for,— a forest home, myriads of wild game, fish in abundance, and 
that quiet rest so invigorating to man. Here the wildfowl, the 
deer and the bear most do congregate, and here the disciples of 
Isaac Walton may satisfy their craving hearts. 

The firmest, and the most delicately flavored fish, as a rule, are 
found in northern waters. The colder and purer the water the more 
delicious the fish; an assertion generally admitted by all authori- 
ties. Who that has tasted the far famed white-fish just taken from 
the pure, cold northern waters, can say otherwise ? 

The trout family inhabit all our northern lakes and streams. 
There is scarcely a brook in Northern Wisconsin, Minnesota or 
Michigan that is not literally alive with the speckled trout. Wher- 



THK NORTHERN LAKES. 



ever there is a stream, the temperature of which does not rise higher 
than sixty -five or seventy degrees in summer, there trout can be 
found in abundance. 

In the Great Lakes, next in value to the white fish comes the 
salmon-trout, weighing often from twenty to sixty pounds. The 
siskowit of Lake Superior is also a species of the salmon family, and 
follows in the ratio of values. It is principally fished for on the 
shores of Isle Royale and the Canadian North Shore. Members of the 
pickerel family are to be found in almost all the lakes and streams; 
also perch, bass, and wall-eyed pike. The northern lakes are al- 
ways desirable places for summer camping. The shores are dry 
and gravelly, and in places rather precipitous. Some are marshy 
and full of wild rice, the delight of the sportsman on account of the 
wild-fowl it brings. Boats and hotel accommodations are to be 
f c uud at all points of importance. 

Forest Helodies, 

Do you hear the grand outpouring 

Through the hills and leafy glades- 
Waters rippling, streamlets purling. 

Through the deepest, darkest glades ? 

List, the music all about you, 

Harmony of mingling sound, 
Sweetly sad, a weird-like stillness 

Seems to rest on all around: 

Loneliness almost oppressive, 

Yet there ever drifting, comes 
Sounds of life from all directions — 

Notes from busy forest homes. 

Rustling through the swaying branches, 

Crackling of dry twigs that move ; 
Thus the passing touch of breezes, 

Gathers music from the grove. 

Birds are chirping, talking softly, 

Singing songs of triumph loud; 
Flitting gaily through the tree-tops, 

Floating far to'rd distant cloud. 



THE NORTHERN LAKES. 



Insect hordes are busy, toiling, 

Squirrels frisk and gambol through 
Time-worn monarchs of the forest; 

Falling leaves fling thoughts to you. 
From the earth fresh sweets arising 

Fill the senses with delight. 
While the ever moving shadows 

Constant change, from dark to light. 

is there one among the tens of thousands who travel for health 
and pleasure, who loves not the forest primeval? To hear the mel- 
ody of sounds— the brooklet rippling among the shadows, the 
rustling leaves, wind tossed and falling through swaying branches, 
the languid and silvery notes of happy songsters— and to breathe 
the sweet odors exhaled by nature's most precious gift to the con- 
tented mind— the monarchs of the wood-land. Is it not quite 
enough, apart from any considerations of sport, game and luxurious 
menu, to live surrounded by the very essence of content and recre- 
ation? Yes, indeed! We hear the echo, and in our imagination, 
and with our eyes wide open we see before us, as if reading from a 
great book, where every page is new, original and embellished with 
illuminated letters, and wonderful illustrations, the story of life. A 
beautiful stream of clearly drawn sketches and ever fresh ideas, 
flowing on like the currents in the air or a river. 

For many miles along these crystal streams the foliage is so dense 
overhanging the water and lapping, as almost to prevent the pass- 
age of a row-boat under the lowering branches. Then when the 
sun is beaming brightly, covering the tree tops as with a sheet of 
molten silver, which is caught by the rustling leaves and set danc- 
ing to the music they themselves produce, one can scarcely believe 
his own senses. 

Beyond we see a deer standing motionless, knee-deep in the cool 
crystal water, seemingly quite unconcerned about our presence. 
Hundreds of fish, large and small, are leaping out of the current 
and falling back again, their shining bodies coquettishly bent as if 
they were making jest of the approach of civilization. Sometimes 
our boat glides listlessly into a pleasant inlet where the trees on the 
shore gracefully bend in the breeze and kiss each other, then rising 
majestically, as if gathering courage, they bow and kiss once 
more. The foliage at times is mirrored so completely in the water 



THE NORTHERN LAKES. 



of a quiet lakelet that one seems suspended or floating over an 
enchanted forest. 

The more one rambles over these forest clad hills, along the 
margins of quiet secluded waters — the silvery lakes and rippling 
streams — clothed with luxuriant verdure, bedecked by glistening 
rays of sunlight and gladdened by the music of soft zephyrs 
struggling through the bush, the more one lingers, wanders, 
dreams as it were, the more he is impressed with the grandeur of 
nature. When this heaven-born inspiration becomes thoroughly 
infused into our hearts, our very beings, how can we but say 
" There is beauty everywhere." 

Never for a moment can we think of saying " good-bye" to these 
most charming of all "Summer Homes." Perhaps it is our inor- 
dinate love of nature and nature's ways; perhaps it is the effect of 
the exhilerating atmosphere ; and it is barely possible that the deli- 
cious trout and the game upon which we have been feeding these 
many days have engendered an extra abundance of enthusiasm re- 
garding this the "Sportsman's Paradise.'' 

No; we can never say good-bye. We depart only, and that with 
a full determination to come again; and as the train whirls us away 
over the "Divide" and through the valley, our eyes unconsciously 
wander back to the happy scenes of yesterday. 



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ROUTES TO LAKE SUPERIOR. 



Like the Romans who once said "All roads lead to Rome," 
Chicagoans believe all railways lead to the " Queen City of the 
Lakes." With her half -hundred lines diverging towards every 
point of the compass, tourists or sportsmen can scarcely do bet- 
ter than to consider Cliicago the hub from which they must radiate; 
and in commencing our series of tours for the benefit of the traveler 
we shall "anticipate the verdict," and begin at the head of Lake 
Michigan. 

There are four principal routes from Chicago to Lake Superior, 
each of which will be treated with as little partiality as possible. 

THE ROUTE via the CHICAGO & NORTH-WESTERN and 
the CHICAGO, ST. PAUL, MINNEAPOLIS & OMAHA RAIL- 
WAYS, passes through Madison, the capital of Wisconsin, along 
the shores of Devil's Lake, up the valley of the Baraboo, over the 
plains, where castellated rocks and mounds are constantly in view, 
through valleys and forest lands, along the margin of lakes and 
brimming rivers, brooks and rocky heights, until at last the great 
inland sea is reached. Via this route the tourist may reach either 
Ashland, Bayfield, Washburn, Superior City or Duluth, and will 
have passed en route the splendid cities of Eau Claire and Chippewa 

Falls. 

THE ROUTE over the WISCONSIN CENTRAL and the 
CHICAGO, MILWAUKEE and ST. PAUL RAILWAYS, passes 
through Milwaukee, Fond du Lac, Oshkosh, Neenah, Waupaca, 
Stevens Point, etc., to Ashland The scenery, for many miles after 
leaving Stevens Point, is rather monotonous, being nothing more 
than a continuation of the great pine forest, interspersed with 
mnumerable lumbering villages; but, as if to make amends for this 
shortcoming, if such it be. Dame Nature has provided at the cross- 
ing of the Penokee Range, and along the Bad River, some of the 
grandest scenery to be met with in the entire State of Wisconsin. 

Through sleeping coaches leave Chicago via this line at 9 p. m. 
daily, except Saturdays 



6 ROUTES TO LAKE SUPERIOR. 

THE ROUTE to MARaUETTE, on Lake Superior is, except 
twelve miles, entirely over the CHICAGO & NORTH-WESTERN 
RAILWAY The twelve miles referred to is between Negaunee 
and Marquette, and belongs to the MARQ,UETTE, HOUGHTON 
& ONTONAGON RAILWAY Along this route the traveler 
passes through Milwaukee, Fond du Lac, Oshkosh, Neenah, Me- 
nasha, Appleton, Green Bay, Oconto, Marinette, Menomonee, Es- 
canaba and Negaunee. 

THE ROUTE via the MILWAUKEE, LAKE SHORE <& 
WESTERN is properly from Milwaukee, but passengers from Chi- 
cago traverse the intervening distance over the CHICAGO & 
NORTH-WESTERN RAILWAY, as all trains connect and no 
change of depots is necessary. The M. L. S. & W. is now completed 
to within a very few miles of Lake Superior, and it is expected to 
be running into Ashland soon after navigation opens. 

Over this route one passes through the cities of Sheboygan, 
Appleton and New London. Then the line runs nearly parallel with 
the course of the Upper Wisconsin River for many miles, and almost 
taps its very source at Lac Vieux Desert. From thence it follows a 
westerly course, diverging a little to the north till Montreal River 
and Ashland are reached. 

There is another route to Lake Superior somewhat longer than 
the others, but often used when the traveler desires to visit St. 
Paul and vicinity en route. The route referred to is the ST. PAUL 
& DULUTH RAILWAY, from St. Paul to Duluth, the traveler 
having previously traveled from Chicago over either of the "trunk 
lines" so called, between the two cities. 

The only through WATER ROUTE from Chicago to Lake 
Superior points is that of the LAKE MICHIGAN AND LAKE 
SUPERIOR TRANSPORTATION COMPANY. 

Mints to Travelers, 

LOCAL FARE in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan is four 
cents per mile, in Illinois three. Round trip fares in Wisconsin 
are at the rate of three cents per mile. 

EXCURSION RATES have been reduced materially in each 
of the states above mentioned, and will range from two and a half 
to three cents per mile. 



ROUTES TO LAKE SUPERIOR. 



THE '*LAND SEEKER'S BUREAU OF INFORMATION" 

of Madison, Wis., arrange for excursions to all northern points dur- 
ing the summer months, and make special rates, 

ALL THE RAILWAY COMPANIES have very liberal ar- 
rangements for the accommodation of sportsmen. Camp equipage, 
dogs, guns, fishing tackle and game are transported free. 

CHICAGO — CITY DEPOTS. — The C & N. W and the C, 
St, P., M. & O. Railways, Wells street, corner of Kinzie, near bridge. 
The C. M. & St. P., and the Wisconsin Central Railways, Union 
Depot. Canal and Madison streets. 




THE APOSTLE ISLANDS AND VICINITY. 



LAKE SUPERIOR. 



Surrounding the Great Lakes, especially Lake Superior, as nearly 
every one knows, there are vast tracts of territory upon which the 
foot of the white man has never trod ; and it is only natural that 
these primeval forest-lands should shelter immense quantities of 
wild-game, the same having been so far, in a measure, protected by 
the distance and inaccessibility to civilizat' on. Within a very few 
years nine different railways have tapped the great "Northern Sea,'* 
coming from the commercial centers of the east, south and west, 
thus facilitating travel and transportation. It is of recent date 
comparatively that the ordinary sportsman could reach these virgin 
hunting grounds without consuming much time and strength. 
Now the railway companies land him almost in sight of his game. 
Indeed, it is no uncommon sight to see from the train, besides the 
myriads of wild fowl, deer and even bear. Once the writer while 
passing in a train near Long Lake witnessed the shooting of a bear 
from the baggage-car. 

In sketching points of interest along the southern shore of Lake 
Superior, we will begin at the western extremity and work east- 
ward. Hence our opening sketch will relate to 

Duliifh, 

Proctor Knott's "Zenith City of the Unsalted Sea" is not so much 
of a mushroom as some would like to believe it. Its booming days 
are over and it has now settled down to solid substantial facts. In 
wealth and material beauty, but one city on Lake Superior overlaps 
it. In population and enterprise it outstrips all its rivals. It has 
not less than 12,000 inhabitants, and is growing rapidly. Its massive 
elevators are overflowing with the cereal products of the great 
west. Its vast mineral and lumber interests, almost undevel- 
oped as yet, bode a grand future for the bustling city on the hill- 
side. In the immediate vicinity along the North Shore may be seen 
some of the finest scenery in the world; and to the west are the 
famous "Dalles of the St. Louis." Indeed this is a good point for 
sportsmen to make headquarters. Game and fish are near at hand, 
and there is no lack of boating accommodation. 



LAKE SUPERIOR. 



Superior. 

The pet of Southern Statesmen along back in the fifties, seems 
to have been sleeping while its sponsors were away. The city of 
Superior is situated upon a broad plateau, high above the bay, and 
boasts of a harbor unsurpassed on the Great Lakes. It can hardly 
count more than 2,000 people, although the site covers more ground 
than any other city in the state. 

West Superior 9 (New Town) 

Is situated on St. Louis Bay, west of the older town, and opposite 
Rice's Point— a part of Duluth. The C, St. P., M. & O. Railway Co. 
have lately constructed a bridge over the intervening channel. 
Traffic between Duluth and the east is benefited thereby to the 
extent of several hours time, and much trouble and vexation, espec- 
ially in the cold season. 

Passing eastward from Superior along the Northern Pacific line 
innumerable streams are crossed. They are all good for fishing, 
especially the Brule, which is already considerably talked of. 




THE NEW CITY OF WASHBURN 



10 LAKE SUPERIOR. 



Washburn 

Is situated on the western shore of Chequamegon Bay, opposite Ash- 
land, from which city it is seven miles distant, across the water, 
and fourteen by rail. Lake Superior steamers exchange passengers 
and freight at this point for the C, St. P., M. & O. Ry. 

Ashland, 

This beautifully situated city only four years ago was not consid- 
ered much of a village. Then there were not more than fifteen 
hundred inhabitants, while now five thousand is not far amiss. Its 
lumbering interests have made it what it is, but the vast mineral 
deposits in the vicinity, and its convenience as a distributing point 
and tourists' headquarters will eventually make it, without doubt, 
the metropolis of Lake Superior. All around, and within an hour 
or two's drive or sail from Ashland, are clustered objects of in- 
terest ; while the scenery is romantic and varied in the highest 
degree. Sand River, Fish Creek, Sioux River, Raspberry River, Sil- 
ver Creek, Pike's Creek and many other streams abound with excel- 
lent trout. All along the shore there is splendid rock fishing, perch 
and bass are plentiful, and Lake Superior produces white-fish of 
superior quality and size. For game, well, it is truly "The Hunter's 
Paradise," nature's dream realized. It seems as if but yesterday 
since the murmuring streams and primeval forests were known only 
to the beaver, the swift-footed deer and roving Indian. There are 
large and well appointed hotels at all the principal points named, 
and regular steamers ply daily between Ashland and Bayfield. A 
favorite camping ground and place for picnic parties and excursion- 
ists is furnished in the Apostle Islands, the beautiful scenery of 
which must be seen to be appreciated. 

The Indian village of Odanah is but twelve miles distant. The 
road leading there passes through a primitive forest, with but one 
house, and that a log one en route. Here one can see the Indian in 
his native dress, listen to his wonderful tales, and witness the 
''grand medicine" dance. You can see him m his birch-bark wig- 
wam, or you can visit him in his civilized home. Tlie Indian trans- 
formed into a white man, and the Indian as he was in the olden 
time, live side by side. One worships at the altar, the other at the 
medicine feast. 



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LAKE SUPERIOR. H 



Bayfield, The " Village of Fountains." 

The following pen picture of Bayfield and Apostle Islands, rs 
taken from ' ' Legends of the Land of Lakes. " 

Bayfield, to which the railroad has just been completed, is a quiet, 
picturesque village, where blends in perfect harmony, the luxuriance 
of modern enterprise and the romance of antiquity. From the 
lofty hills at whose feet she nestles, bursts forth the sparkling 
"nectar of the gods," purest water. Indeed, nature in her gener- 
ous partiality lavishes this, one of the greatest blessings, in such 
profusion that nearly every cottage sports a fountain, which fact 
has given Bayfield the appellation of the "village of fountains." 
The rippling brooks meandering through the village, and the lovely 
view of the bay and surroundings, make one feel as though dropped 
into another world, a land of curious relics and strange old tradi- 
tions, and when we meet upon the hillside the good Franciscan 
Father in his brown gown passing along towards the old white 
church on the brow of the bluff, we feel as if we had really stepped 
back into a past century. Then going to the government outlook 
upon the summit of one of tlie loftiest hills, there awaits us one of 
the grandest of earthly scenes. Looking north and east, beyond 
and almost at our very feet, the Apostle Islands, twenty-four 
in number, lie spread out in all their verdant loveliness. " If a 
thing of beauty is a joy forever," then surely this most fascinating 
view will prove a never-ending pleasure. The rugged north shore, 
with its capes and highlands, is distinctly seen; the mountains to 
the east and south, and the unbroken forest line reaching far to the 
west, complete a circle within which the green isles and the white- 
winged vessels appear like so many toys. 




LAKE SUPERIOR. 13 



The Apostle Islands. 

The following from " Legends of the Great Lakes," will no 
doubt interest the sportsman as well as the tourist. The author, 
says: "Of all the Lake Superior country perhaps none can 
interest the traveler more than these beautiful ' Summer Isles 
of a Northern Sea.' It is a land of strange delights, a veritable 
bower of flowers and green trees, made lovelier by the romantic 
associations of past ages. 

"One may fancy that in those early days of history, when the 
ever-sacrificing Jesuit Fathers pierced the unknown wilderness 
in their zeal and love of humanity, they must here have found a 
rest, a place of sweet repose. 

" If all the year were summer it would not be hard to believe that 
'The Apostles' were the 'inspired islands of the blessed,' of the 
Greek poets, so verdant, sunny and flowery they are. And then 
there is the quaint old village of La Pointe, with its ancient relics 
and legendary tales, slumbering upon the southern shore of Made- 
line Island famed above all others in the traditions of the past. 

" Almost upon the very beach, listlessly dreaming in the sunshine, 
rests quietly the antique little village, — a single winding street with 
houses, of another age, strewn along for half a mile, like peas sown 
on uneven ground, but not so thick. 

'* IVIany of the houses stand so near the shore that little children 
can stand in the doors and throw pebbles into the lake. Back from 
the sandy beach, leading into shady dells and over wooded knolls 
are the loveliest of winding paths where one can walk for miles 
with occasional glimpses of blue, sparkling waters and a continuous 
bower of greenery everywhere. 

" The inhabitants are mostly fishermen who spread their nets in 
many waters during the summer season, and return to winter at 
La Pointe. The houses are nearly all built of logs, some clapboarded 
and all plastered with the nat.ve clay abounding here; instead of 
lath, twigs interlaced in diamond shape are used. 

"La Pointe to-day is but the remembrance of what it once was. 
In the days of the American Fur Company and John Jacob Astor, 
some three thousand people made this their homes. Now scarcely 
one hundred inhabitants can be counted. Many curious relics of 
the olden time are still to be seen. The Jesuit Fathers — Allouez and 



14 



LAKE SUPERIOR. 



Marquette — left their undying foot-prints upon this most beautiful 
shore, in tradition if nothing more; and the Fur Company is still to 
be remembered in their old log warehouse, now tottering on its 
feeble foundation, almost ready to fall. 

' ' Among the inhabitants of La Pointe there are several that are 
very old, and have lived there a half century or more. They have 
seen La Pointe in its glory, and still live to mourn its decay; — its 
last decay, for it can never rise and fall again. The new La Pointe 
will have no resemblance to the past. It will be a city of villas, a 
fashionable summer resort. It will be sought for its health-giving 
climate, and for the remembrance of the past, the shadows of which 
are now passing just beyond our reach. What poetry! what love- 
liness! the very quietude seems full of music! aland of rest, a fit 
place for those who dream. 

"Once out among the islands in a fairy-like sail-boat, the sen- 
sation is perfectly delightful. The white-winged vessel does not 
seem afloat upon a watery element, but suspended in mid-air with 
ethereal depths around and below. Those who have visited both 
Lake George, the world-famed Horicon, and Lake Superior, affirnr- 
that the latter far surpasses the former in clearness and transpar- 
ency. Echoes from every rock seem to start when the silence of 
the solitude is in the least disturbed, and become musical as the 
voice is raised and lowered. Whether sailing among the islands 
amid their primitive grandeur and intense quietude, or paddling 
along the main land, all is glorious— a summer's dream. 




LAKE SUPERIOR. 15 



Oiiionaijoit 

Is still innoceut of a railroad. There are several pointed that way, 
but it is not for us to say when they will arrive. Visitors must now 
travel by steamboat from some one of the other lake towns. 

Black, Presque Isle and Iron Rivers are all noted streams, enter- 
ing Lake Superior east of the Montreal and west of the Ontonagon 
Rivers. Copper Harbor and Eagle River are to the north-eastward of 
Ontonagon, and upon the western shore of Keweenaw Peninsula. 

Honghtofi and Hancock, 

The twin cities of Lake Superior are situated on opposite sides of 
Portage Lake, and together are locally called " The Portage." This 
is really the head center of the original copper mining district. 
CALUMET, a few miles to the north, is also a fine city of 5,000 
inhabitants, made and supported by the copper interest alone. 

L^Anse 

Is a small, ancient town, located at the head of Keweenaw Bay, 
and was the site of one of the early Jesuit Missions. It is, on 
account of its primitiveness, a first rate place for hunting head- 
quarters. To the south and west are some of the wildest districts 
in the State of Michigan. 

Ishpeminr/ and Negaunee 

Are both "iron mining" towns of several thousand inhabitants. 
They are in the heart of a wonderfully interesting part of the Lake 
Superior countr3^ the metropolis of which is 

Marquette. 

By all odds the best built and wealthiest city on Lake Superior: *' a 
city peerless in her native lovdiness, with a veritable Bay of 
Naples, glistening at her feet." Its population is about 6,000, and 
for a city of its size it has exceptional advantages. Its streets aie 
broad, well paved, lighted, and are usually bordered with great 
slabs of serpentine marble or red sandstone, as clean and bright as 
the finest boulevards in America. Its business blocks are fine, large 
and substantial. Its residences are grand and palatial upon ''The 
Highlands;" white and comfortable elsewhere. Its people — well 



16 



LAKE SUPERIOR. 



one can only know them by making Marquette a visit. There seems 
to be an influence in these vast tracts of forest, these unHmited 
beds of mineral wealth, this grand expanse of inland sea, which in- 
sensibly acts upon the minds of the dwellers there about and wid- 
ens their perceptions of their duty toward their neighbors; at least, 
whatever may be the cause, they never fail to show every friendly 
attention to strangers, and to provide for them the most agreeable 
forms of entertainment that the neighborhood affords. 

The great sport for visitors is to go out in a steamer to the white-fish 
schools. There are many small steamers engaged in the business, 
and they can be chartered for a day or longer by parties desirous 
of participating in the amusement. Sometimes as many as a 
dozen of these steamers will cruise in company, and, as a school of 
the eager fish are sighted, the fleet will immediately bear down 
upon them. There are certain well recognized rules which the 
steamers observe with regard to each other, and, in consequence, 
there are often times when a number of the fishermen are so busy 
that they can hardly haul in their fish and bait their hooks fast 
enough, while the others are obliged to look idly on and wait for the 
exasperating fish to come to them; perhaps in the next school their 




LIGHT HOUSE POINT, NEAR MARQUETTE. 



LAKE SUPERIOR. IT 



relative positions will be quite reversed, Some skillful anglers will 
handle several lines at once, the same as is customary on the cod- 
fish banks; but the average visitor to Marquette will be quite satis- 
fied with the catch of one line. 

The bay contains several large, well-wooded islands, which are 
favorite resorts for picnic parties; and, as people visit them in every 
style of boat, the scene on the bay is often remarkably brilliant and 
lively. Still longer excursions are made in yachts and steamers to 
the northern shore of Lake Superior in search of shooting and brook- 
trout fishing. There is no finer field for the sportsman anywhere 
in the world, especially as the hunters have not yet become so 
numerous as to make the game scarce and unusually wary. It 
should be remembered, however, that the Hudson's Bay Company 
control the killing of all game on the Canadian shors, in conse- 
quence of which, permission should first be obtained from the com- 
pany's local agent. 

On that shore you will find nature in all her wildness. The white 
man's arts and ways have not yet penetrated its wilds, and the In- 
dian with his peculiar habits can be found without seeking far. 
This Indian is not the savage of the plains or mountains, but he 
who has been tamed by the kindly teachings of the patient Catholic 
missionary, who has been a dweller in the tents of the uncultured 
child of the forest for generations, and who has lived there really 
and truly for the Indian's good, and not for the white man's ag- 
grandizement, as is too often the case with the so-called friend of 
the Indian. No finer trout fishing is to be found anywhere on the 
broad earth than can be found on the north shore of this great in- 
land ocean. Speckled trout, weighing from five to twelve pounds, 
are often caught by the few adventurous spirits who have for sev- 
eral years sought these favored shores. The rivers Neepigon ai:d 
Michipicoten are the best known of the trout streams of the north 
shore. Guides to these streams can be easily hired at Marquette, 
and fishing parties be fitted out with little expense or labor. And 
here we might drop a hint that may be useful to the stranger: Take 
an Indian for your guide if you go to the north shore to fish; see 
that you get one that does not love "fire water," and one that is 
not afraid of work. 

Near Marquette are several famous sporting streams, the Au 
Train, Chocolate, Carp and Dead Rivers, besides numerous brooks. 



18 



LAKE SUPERIOR. 



At Marquette steamers leave daily for all South Shore ports east or 
west. A pleasant trip is to take the steamer to MUNISING, a 
pretty little town down the lake, from whence sailing excursions 
around the wild shores of Grand Island and to the Pictured Rocks 
on the main land always prove a "red letter" in any man's life. 

Sault Ste. Marie 

Is a city of about 3,000 inhabitants. The location of the Govern- 
ment Ship Canal, and its naturally advantageous position at the 
foot of Lake Superior will undoubtedly in the near future make a 
city of no mean proportions. In the rapids at " The Soo" it is said 
the famous white-fish originated, at least they are found there as 
well as the trout in great abundance. The surrounding country is 
still a great resort for wild game. Being a peninsula wilderness 
there is a tendency to increase rather than diminish the quantity to 
be met with. The game is driven in this direction by the hunters 
from Marquette and Escanaba, and then the water prevents them 
going further. 




GRAND PORTAL— PICTURED ROCKS. 



POINTS OF INTEREST 

ALONG THE ROUTE TO 

DULTTTH, ASHLAND, ETO., OVER THE 0., ST P.. M. & 0. RT. 



Bright and beautiful is the scene that greets us at every turn, as 
we wind among the hills and through the valleys of enchanting 
Wisconsin Every moment seems to bring us something of increas- 
ing interest. Every village or hamlet becomes an Eden of a brighter 
hue. The valleys broaden, the hills become higher and the trees 
and grass appear greener, as we more along. 

From Madison, Wisconsin's proud and beautiful capital, with its 
grand State institutions, including an historical library unequalled 
in the west; until our journey ends at Ashland, Bayfield, Duluth 
or St. Paul, there is one continuous panorama which the traveler 
never fails to admire. Charming, exquisite, words do not express the 
delights of such a tour A scene from New England — a village 
nestled beneath the hills of a far reaching valley; pretty white cot- 
tages, garlanded with vines and half hidden from view by the 
greenest of trees, stud the brooklet and swiftly running river from 
mossy bank to the rising hill on either side. Such is not one, but 
many sights that welcome the tourist and the sportsman to the land 
of sweet repose. One is apt to moralize and wonder if such scenes 
are really of earth. Can it be that poverty and wickedness exist 
here as elsewhere ? Is not everything beautiful within these pleas- 
ure gardens; these clean white homes? Are not the maidens of the 
fairest type, the mothers handsome and gracious, and the men all 
proud, honest and kind ? 

The train moves on, and we have now reached the Wisconsin 
River. All eyes are fixed upon the scene before and beneath us. 
The glassy tranquil waters, the languid woods basking breathless 
and quivering in the sultry glare, the tree and vine-covered island, 
the thicket, the marsh and the prairie, all far below us and reaching 
towards the setting sun, present a picture never to be forgotten. We 
are now at Merrimac, a few miles more and we will have arrived at 
Devil's Lake, where vast rocks, crystal waters and an hospitable 



20 NORTHERN LAKES. 



landlord vie with each other in pleasing the tourist who tarries there. 
Beyond Devil's Lake the rail follows the course of the picturesque 
Baraboo almost to its source. From thence to Eau Claire we tra- 
verse a comparatively level district — apparently the bottom of an 
ancient lake or sea, in which the present bluffs and castellated rocks 
were islands. 

Forty miles northward from Eau Claire the tourist fairly enters 
upon the *' Happy Hunting Grounds" of the red man. The Indian 
is gone, or at least he has left only a poor shiftless representative to 
guard his wide domain. 

Following up either of the various tributaries of the Chippewa 
River, innumerable lakes present themselves at every turn, while 
trout brooks are so plentiful that one might compare the land to a 
human body in which the veins represent the streams. 

In the vicinity of CHETEK and RICE LAKE there is much 
that will induce the sportsman to tarry, and if he should sigh for 
*' more worlds to conquer" he would have but to *'paddle his canoe" 
up stream and presto — one lake then another, and so on ad infin- 
itum. Now that the red hunter has passed away, these almost prim- 
itive hunting grounds have regained in a measure their former 
abundance of life. 

One of the most beautiful lakes met with as the sportsman pro- 
ceeds along the chain, is RED CEDAR. It is about four miles m 
length, and contains several picturesque islands; on one of which 
formerly grew a single red cedar. From this tree the lake received 
its name, there being no other of that species known in the vicinity. 
It is certainly one of the most charming woodland lakes to be found 
in all the northern wilderness. 

LAC COURT OREILLES is also a most lovely lake belonging 
to the same group as Red Cedar, but is more conveniently accessible 
from Hayward, a new lumbering town 26 miles above Spooner, 
where we stop for meals. Court Oreilles is one of the most mag • 
nificent sheets of water in the Northwest. It is larger, more ro • 
mantic and picturesque than the famous Minnetonka, and is almost 
unknown to the world. The Indian reservation, which includes a 
portion of the northern shore, has no doubt been in a measure 
responsible for its primitiveness. People have generally supposed 
that the entire lake belonged to the reservation, and were not anx- 
ious to intrude. 



NORTHERN LAKES. 21 



For many miles along the line between Spooner and Ashland the 
railroad follows the general course of the NEMA KAGON — a 
stream justly famed for its finny inhabitants. At almost any sta- 
tion until Long Lake is reached, the Nema-Kagon or a tributary is 
close at hand, and that means trout, bass, etc., to the heart's content. 
Indeed; one can scarcely go astray in this the fountain head of 
many waters, for the speckled beauties are truly without number. 
They glide through tho transparent waters, or dash over a miniture 
rapid, that ripples and foams like the laughter of happy children — 
all unmindful of the patient angler standing just below with an 
alluring fly ready for his prey 

The Nema Kagon begins its existence in a lake of the same 
name, situated some eight miles east of the railroad, and not far 
from Long Lake No. 1. (There are several lakes in the state that go 
by this name.) 

NEMA-KAGON LAKE contained formerly great numbers of 
sturgeon, and this fact gave it the Indian name which signifies 
where sturgeon are found or Sturgeon Lake. 

Twenty miles north of Hayw^ard, nestling among the hills of the 
great " divide " from whence waters flow to the Atlantic Ocean and 
to the Gulf of Mexico, is the beautiful serpentine 



Long Lake, 

Nowhere is there a body of water so charmingly and conveniently 
located. It is not a lake in the usual acceptation of the term, it is 
rather a collection of bays or lakelets united by a broad, deep 
stream. Bold wooded shores encompass the whole, impressing the 
beholder with a sense of awe and at the same time with a feeling 
that the beautiful scene spread out before his delighted eyes, was 
intended all for him and his companions. A sort of kingly feeling 
—I am lord of all I survey. The scene is like an Arcadian dream, 
so wild, so still, so grand, amid the forest giants— the grand old 
pines, the majestic oaks, the hemlocks and the maples. Here breathe 
we the life-giving aroma, so potent yet so unappreciated by those to 
whom it has given renewed life, and by those who might, if they 
only would, be benefited. 

Long Lake is about eigiit miles in length and averages two in 



22 NORTHERN LAKES- 



breadth. Its waters are as clear as crystal, very deep and con- 
tain besides the usual bass, pike, pickerel, perch and muskalonge, 
the far famed white-fish, a species seldom found outside the 
Great Lakes. The great northern pike, an entirely different 
fish from the so-called pike of southern waters which is in reality a 
pickerel, abound here in great profusion. It is one of the gamiest 
of fish and is also extremely palatable. It is certainly the fault of 
the sportsman himself if in this, the "Land of Lakes" — great 
schools of fish and myriads of game, large and small— he fails to 
" bag " all his selfish heart may desire. It is not the fault of the fish 
if the amateur sits upon an inviting log holding his expensive rod 
and fancy tackle temptingly all the livelong day, or trolls his fan- 
tastic "spoons " for hours at a time without a bite. It is his fault 
alone. He should know his business; or pleasure if so it be. Per- 
haps an old fisherman not a dozen rods away has been kept busy all 
the while hauling in the finny game and rebaiting a penny hook 
with the leg of a homely frog. 

In gunning for large as well as small game if the amateur knows 
not the habits of the denizens of the forest, he is sure to buy the 
game he ships home. A party of three trappers winter before last 
durmg a four weeks' sojourn at Long Lake took nine bear, seven- 
teen deer, eighty-seven musk-rats, three wild-cats, seven wolves and 
two beavers. 

West of the main line to Ashland and Bayfield there is a vast 
section of country almost uninhabited and covered by innumerable 
small lakes. Indeed, it is almost impossible to travel through it and 
be for a moment out of sight of a lake. From this fountain-head , 
where cold springs burst forth begetting rivulets and babbling 
brooks that wind and turn a thousand times ere they reach the 
broader stream, the famous St. Croix has its source. Beyond to the 
north, just over the ridge, are the " head waters " of the Brule. 
The "Omaha" railroad intersects the very heart of this delight- 
ful region at White Birch and Gordon on the Superior division. 
Gordon, in the days before railroads, was a station on the Gov- 
ernment trail leading from St Paul to Bayfield. Just north 
of Gordon there are a series of small lakes which have already be- 
come popular. Upper Lake St. Croix is only a short distance from 
White Birch station. It is still a wilderness of forest and water, a 
particularly agreeable place for the handler of gun and rod. 



POINTS OF INTEREST 

ALONG THE LINE OF THE 

WISCONSIN CENTRAL RAILROAD. 



This is no less a sporting route, or " fishing line " than the one 
previously mentioned. Each is par-excellence in its way The 
'•Central" passes through some of the wildest of forest-lands, and 
its scenery is of a peculiar beauty not met with elsewhere. 

In the vicinity of Lake Winnebago there is more wild game 
shooting than one would suppose, considering the number of 
populous cities bordering its shores. Westward along the Fox and 
Wolf Rivers, and especially about Lake Poygan, small game and 
fish are to be had in abundance. Snipe, plover, wood-cock, prairie- 
chickens and ducks abound in this section of the state, and all the 
various species of fish indigenous to Wisconsin waters are found 
here. DOXY'S ISLAND at Neenah and Menasha is noted, far 
and near, for the fine fish caught there. It has become a sort of 
rendezvous for Southern sportsmen, who bring their families with 
them. 

At GILL'S LANDING, WEYAUWEGA and WAUPACA, 
hunting and fishing are good. The CHAIN OF LAKES near the 
latter place is one of the finest sporting grounds in this section. Sev- 
eral members of fishing and boating clubs have built comfortable 
cottages upon the shores of the " Chain of Lakes,'' and a well-kept 
hotel graces as handsome a site as one could wish for. 

At Stevens Point the Wisconsin River is crossed, then proceeding 
along the line the traveler will scarcely be interested except to note 
the almost unbroken forest, the numerous streams and prosperous 
villages, until perhaps Phillips is called out by the train "elocution- 
ist." We say elocutionist advisedly, for "we believe there is not in 
America another road where the brakemen call out the names of 
places in so clear, distinct and melodious a voice as they do here 



NORTHERN LAKES. 



There was once one we knew on the "Omaha line'' who spoke dis- 
tinctly, but he either died or was promoted. 

At PHILLIPS the sportsman can find almost anything he 
desires in the way of game and fish. Elk Lake is but a lew rods 
from the hotels, and in the immediate vicinity are numerous trout 
streams. 

The region north of Phillips is a perfect paradise for those who 
enjoy camp life and canoeicg. The numerous streams and lakes 
tributary to the FLAMBEAU and CHIPPEWA RIVERS furnish 
unlimited sport to the angler for bass, pike> pickerel, muskalonge and 
perch. In many of these lakes and streams none but Indians have 
ever fished. The muskalonge, which are very plentiful, frequently 
weigh as much as forty pounds; so bring your heaviest tackle. 

At PENOKEE the scene changes. Mountains whose summits 
reach seventeen hundred feet above the lake have taken the place of 
hills, and a rushing boisterous stream, the place of a quiet brooklet. 
"The Dalles," and the rapids of Bad River breaking through the 
hills and between towering rocks make many a delightful picture. 
In passing through Penokee Gap the railroad crosses Bad River 
seventeen times in a distance of nine miles. 

SILVER CREEK, eighteen miles from Ashland, is a favorite 
point for parties making Ashland their headquarters, to run out to 
in the morning on the train and return at night. 

In the immediate vicinity of Silver Creek are the famous trout 
and bass streams— Brunswieler, Trout Brook and Marengo. English 
Lake near by is also noted for its fish. Twelve miles further north 
is the great iron bridge over White River, 1,560 feet long and 
103 feet above the water. The scenery from the summit of the 
bridge is simply grand. The eye can look over the tops of trees, 
across rugged cliffs and through the deep, winding canon on either 
side for a distance of from five to twelve miles. 

Back in the forest from Silver Creek station are two falls in the 
Bad River, one sixty and the other fifty feet high, and the two in. 
one view. _ _ 




POINTS OF INTEREST 

ALONG THE ROUTE TO 

MARaUETTE, OVER THE C. & N. W. RAILWAY. 



For many miles after leaving Chicago, over the " Shore Line" 
one passes an almost continuous line of charming villas, elegant 
mansions and delightful vistas ; presenting a scene, with the 
broad blue lake in the background, most beautiful and entranc- 
ing. Waukegan, Kenosha, Racine and Milwaukee, all pleasant and 
prosperous cities, follow in succession and help to make this 
favored route all the more delightful. Beyond Milwaukee, this road 
passes through a rather thickly settled region until Green Bay is 
reached. At Green Bay the sportsman fairly begins his work. Only 
a few miles from the city either east, north or west exist some of 
the finest game haunts to be met with anywhere short of the 
''Lake Superior Forests." Almost any of the numerous towns 
bordering the bay are desirable points from which the sports- 
man may ' ' take to the wood " in search of that which stimulates 
but does not intoxicate — game. 

The Oconto, Peshtigo, Menominee and Escanaba Rivers with tlieir 
numerous tributaries are all noted streams for sport. The usual 
modus operandi for working these streams is to first make an over- 
land trip to the headwaters of some one of them, and then float 
or paddle down, fishing and hunting along the way. In order to 
do this comfortably a party of tnree to five should go together. 
Two or four carriers should be employed to transport the camp 
equipage, boats, etc These carriers will also act as cooks and do 
the rowing or paddling on the down journey. 

A favorite route for this kind of a trip is to go by rail to some 
point near the head w^aters of the Escanaba River, and from thence 
follow the stream to its mouth, at the city of Escanaba. 

For the sportsman, Escanaba furnishes every attraction that the 



26 NORTHERN LAKES. 



heart can wish for, fish, flesh and fowl being all within easy reach. 
The fishing in White Fish Bay can not be excelled for white-fish, 
sturgeon and lake trout; while all the small streams in the back 
country are full of that delicious game fish, the speckled trout- In 
the woods may be found partridges, squirrels, wood-ducks and other 
small game in abundance, while the marshes and streams are the 
favorite haunts of the duck, goose, brant, wild swan and other 
water fowl. Those mighty nimrods who desire large game can find 
both deer and bear in considerable numbers at the proper season, 
and at times the latter become so numerous and bold that the hunt- 
ers, unless experienced and skillful, are liable to find the tables 
turned upon them by an enraged and slightly wounded bruin. The 
shores of Ba de Noquette is particularly mentioned as the haunt of 
large game. 

Diverging from the main line the sportsman, especially" if he en- 
joys social life at a Summer Resort, will do well to cast his lines in 
GKEEN LAKE, which is but twenty miles west of Fond du Lac, 
on a branch of the C. & N. W. Ry. This lake is noted for its excel 
lent fish, the black bass especially. In the vicinity, all kinds of 
small game is plentiful. Puckaway Lake, a few miles west of 
Green Lake, is celebrated as one of the few places in America 
where canvas-back ducks are found 

The Menominee and Bois Brule Rivers formerly were the great- 
est game haunts in the country. Even now this section furnishes 
fine sport for the hundreds who go there every year. The C. & N. 
W. Ry. have a branch leaving the main line at Powers, a station 
near Escanaba, for the Menominee Iron District, which will carry 
the sportsman right into the heart of these favored hunting grounds, 
passing en route Sturgeon Falls Little and Big Quinnesec Falls, etc. 




POINTS OF INTEREST 

ALONG THE ROUTE OF THE 



The wildest of all the wild northern lake land, except perhaps the 
north shore of Lake Superior, is that from which the Upper Wis- 
consin River receives its nourishment. The region from Wausau to 
Vieux Desert, and beyond even to Gogebic and the Montreal, in 
Michigan, was until very recently a howling wilderness. Three 
years ago the chance hunter as he toiled slowly through fen and 
bush, or paddled his canoe down the silvery waters, scarcely dreamed 
of the transformation that was about to take place. A railroad has 
been built. Numerous villages and even cities have grown from out 
the forest, the beautiful forest which nature provided for man's 
health and amusement. 

Starting from Milwaukee, the sportsman, if he be one of a party 
numbering six or more, will most likely occupy a section in one of 
the comfortable "Hunting Cars" provided by the M., L. S. & W. 
Ry. Co. In these ^cars he eats, sleeps and makes himself generally 
at home, the same whether his car is on the move or whether it ha« 
been switched off at one of the many sporting stations along the 
line. 

Long before reaching the "beautiful land over there," where 
ducks and geese will never cease, where deer are fair and mosqui- 
toes rare, oh that wonderful land over there, ..the sportsman, no 
doubt, will have become interested in the charming scenery passed 
en route. 

Sheboygan, fifty-two miles north of Milwaukee, is one of the 
pleasantest cities in the State of Wisconsin. Situated as it is on 
Lake Michigan, whose waters are plentifully supplied with the 
finny tribe, visitors to the *' Evergreen City'* need never lack for 
sport. In the marshes and among the "Kettles," the name of a 
range of peculiarly shaped hills, a short distance west of the city, 



28 NORTHERN LAKES. 



considerable small game may be found, in season. Also fishing in 
the small lakes is usually good. 

The scenery surrounding Sheboygan and "The Falls " is very 
attractive. Lovely vistas unexpectedly appear, picturesque hills 
and valleys, winding streams and rural homes, all are beautiful; and 
with the hospitality of the people we meet, we are forcibly re- 
minded of an old- country scene. 

At MANITOWOC the next point on the route, the road leaves 
the lake and bears westward, crossing the Fox River at Appleton. 

NEW LONDON, farther along up the line, is quite a place for 
fish and small game, but for sporting in the fullest acceptation of 
the term, go a little farther. 

Just beyond CLINTON VILLE the watchful tourist will become 
conscious of the fact that the appearance of the country is grad- 
ually undergoing a change. The cultivated fields and comfortable 
looking farm houses have been left behind. Soon we will have 
fairly entered the great Wisconsin forest. Another of such extent 
does not exist east of the Rocky Mountains, its eastern, western and 
northern boundaries being respectively Green Bay the St. Croix 
River and Lake Superior. 

The southern portion of this great forest consists of a magnificent 
growth of hard -wood — maple, beech, birch, elm and other varieties, 
interspersed with groves of pine and hemlock. This belt of hard- 
wood timber extends almost across the entire State and from 
twenty to thirty miles north and south, of course, varying some- 
what. 

During the open season in Wisconsin (Nov. 1st to Dec. 15th) this 
hard- wood district is the favorite resort of the deer. In the sum- 
mer he seeks a cooler region further north, and may then be found 
in the forest immediately south of Lake Superior. Even in his 
summer home this handsomest of wild game is not allowed to rest. 
The open season in Upper Michigan commences ten weeks earlier 
than in Wisconsin, on account of which this hotly-chased creature 
is compelled to stand considerable popping at before he meets the 
reserve force down in Wisconsin. 

Beyond the hard-wood belt is the great pine forest, and here we 
enter the lake region proper, of north-eastern Wisconsin. 

PELICAN LAKE is the first that deserves special attention. It 
has already gained quite a notoriety for the excellence of its fish, 
bass and muskalonge in particular. 



NORTHERN LAKES- 29 



The best season for muskalonge fishing here, as well as all other 
lakes in this region, is from May 20th to July 1st, and from Aug. 
20th to Oct. 20th. The bass season is from about June 10th to 
Oct. 15th. 

At MONICO a few miles above Pelican, the sportsman bound 
for Lakes George and Thompson diverges from the main line by 
taking a branch road, which carries him to a station near these 
lakes, or to RHINELANDER, a brisk little city, three miles be- 
yond. 

Resuming our way up the main line w^e first pass CLEAE. 
WATER LAKE, said to be an excellent fishing ground. 

Six miles further and we come to EAGLE RIVER STATION, 
a town of considerable expectations. It is a very desirable location 
for sportsmen, being situated on the Eagle River and in the midst 
of a magnificent chain of lakes known as the EAGLE WATERS. 
There are twenty-six lakes, large and small, included in the Eagle 
series ; some are extremely beautiful, while all are literally 
alive with bass, pike, pickerel, perch and muskalonge. The latter 
is said to excel all previous records elsewhere. However that may 
be, we know they are extraordinarily plentiful and of the finest 
flavor. Sportsmen will find the best of accommodation at Eagle 
River, and can engage from Messrs. Perry & Lawler, Indian guides, 
boats, etc., for tours either through the Eagle Waters or for more 
distant points. Both of these gentlemen are personally acquainted 
with every stream and lake in this section of the State. 

Among the numerous lakes north of Eagle Waters is the historic 
" LAC VIEUX DESERT," and upon an island in this lake early 
French explorers found not only an existing Indian village but the 
remains of an ancient city and large garden beds; these latter giving 
the vicinity its name— the "Lake of the deserted gardens" trau slated 
into French, "Lac Vieux Desert." 

The Wisconsin River here finds its true source, although the 
waters of a thousand lakes augment its volume as it moves along, 
sometimes sweetly serene, again turbulent and rapid, in its course. 

To mention the names even of the larger and finer lakes where 
there are so many, would prove of little or no benefit, as name is 
nothing; it is the lakes that produce the fish and game that the 
sportsman goes to see. 

A favorite trip with sportsmen is to follow down the Wisconsin 
River fro-m Lac Vieux Desert, to where the Eagle River joins the 



30 NORTHERN LAKES. 



Wisconsin, thence up the Eagle River and into the various lakes at 
pleasure. 

Between Lac Vieux Desert and STATE LINE STATION is what 
is called the "divide," — the highest land, where waters flov/ in 
opposite directions almost from the same spring. The Ontonagon 
River, flowing into Lake Superior, has its beginning only a short dis- 
tance from the source of a stream flowing into the Wisconsin. 

At the south western extremity of Lac Vieux Desert, and where 
the Wisconsin River first appears, the old military road leading 
from Green Bay to Ontonagon, touches the lake. An old pioneer 
trader still lives at this point, which was once a "station" on the 
mail route aforesaid. There is no trading now, the Indians are 
gone, but the good-natured back-woodsman keeps busy all the same. 
He is always obliging and most happy when he can do a favor to 
one of his fellow men. 

From the lake at this point to State Line Station, distance about 
five miles, there is a very good road cut through the forest. 

Four miles west of State Line Station is Black Oak Lake, where 
Mackinaw trout are found in great abundance. 

In this region there is no lack of brook trout, the various streams 
are fairly alive with them. At WATERS-MEET, eight miles 
north of State Line, a number of these small streams unite, a fact 
which has suggested the pretty name borne by the town. 'Duck 
Creek," and *' Great Trout Brook," the latter the east branch of the 
OntonagoU; have already become quite famous for their finny 
beauties. 

Seventeen miles further along the line and GOGEBIC STATION 
is reached. LAKE GOGEBIC is four and a half miles north of tlie 
station. Hotel accommodations, boats, etc. , are provided at the lake. 
Sportsmen who have visited Lake Gogebic loudly proclaim its praise. 
It is a veritable paradise for black-bass fishermen, as the streams en- 
tering the lake, are for trout anglers. Lake Gogebic is quite a large 
sheet of water, extending twenty miles in length and reaching to 
within twelve miles of Lake Superior. It is bound to become a 
great resort not only for fish and game, but for health and pleasure. 

Up to about the first of July, trout are taken in this lake almost as 
frequently as bass, and by the same methods, and they are usually 
of the largest size. Later in the season trout can only be taken in 
the tributary streams, whose waters are sought by them on account 
of their being colder than the lake. 



POINTS OF INTEREST 

— TO — 

SPORTSMEN IN MINNESOTA. 



The lakes and streams of Minnesota are as a rule quite dissimilar 
to those of Wisconsin and Michigan. They are usually larger 
bodies of water, the shores are less wooded, and inclined to low 
banks. The fish seem to average about the same in each of the 
three States, but some species of small game, especially the prairie- 
chicken, are more plentiful in Minnesota. 

IN NORTHERN MINNESOTA, a:id especially that portion 
bordering upon the north shore of Lake Superior, the sportsman 
can find plenty of large game, as well as small ; and in the vicinity 
of Lake Winnebagoshish, Leach Lake, Miile Lacs and Red Lake 
there is some of the finest sporting in the world. Either one of 
these four inland seas is larger than the largest of Wisconsin's in- 
terior lakes, and one of them covers over 300,000 acres ; but the 
grandest of all hunting grounds that may be counted accessible are 
in the vicinity of the LAKE OF THE WOODS. 

To reach this truly wild domain the sportsman must travel over- 
land some seventy-five or eighty miles or go round by the way of 
the St. P , M. & M. Ry. to Winnipeg, and then by the Canadian 
Central Ry. to "Rat PortagQ," a station on the most north-westerly 
extremity of the lake. For those who can spare the time and en- 
joy back -woods life, this is one of the finest trips possible. There is 
no lack of game; deer, bear, elk, cariboo and all the smaller varieties 
abound. The lake is about seventy-five miles in extent, and is so 
full of islands and bays that without a guide a man is liable to get 
lost in short ordei. 

A favorite route for returning is by water, all the way except por- 
tages; traversing Rainy Lake and River, Sturgeon Lake, Arrow and 
Pigeon Rivers, etc., toLake Superior. Along this route one can hunt 



32 NORTHERN LAKES 



or fish as his inclination dictates, and always with a bounteous 
showing. 

South east of Rainy Lake some forty miles is Vermilion Lake, a 
body of water which will some day become popular as a resort. At 
present it is fast becoming famous as the ''region of metals,'' gold, 
silver and iron. There is no lack of game in any of these northern 
wildernesses. Vermilion Lake is eighty five miles from Duluth, but 
so primitive is the intervening territory that one might suppose 
himself a thousand miles from civilization. 

West of Duluth along the Northern Pacific Ry there are plenty of 
good hunting and fishing grounds. In the vicinity of Brainard, and 
the head waters of the Mississippi, and in fact wherever a lake or 
stream appears, game or fish haunts may be looked for 

THE PARK REGION of Mmnesota, including within its 
borders over a thousand lakes, is probably the most noted of any 
section of the State. The St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Ry. 
pierces this famous region in all its parts St Cloud, Sauk Center, 
Osakis, Alexandria, Ashby, Fergus Falls and Brown's Valley are all 
familiar names to the knight of the gun and rod. In the neighbor- 
hood of each of these towns are lakes — from one to a dozen all more 
or less wooded and many quite primitive These waters produce all 
the usual varieties of fish; bass, pickerel and wall-eyed pike pre- 
dominating "Water-fowl, prairie chicken, partridge, grouse and 
other game birds are plentiful. 

Along the Sioux City division of the C, St P M. & O. Railway 
there is good fishing and considerable small game, especially in the 
vicinity of St. Peter, Mankato, Minneopa Falls, Lake Crystal and 
Worthington. Westward from Kasota, Redwood Falls, Lake Ben- 
ton and along the shores of the UPPER MINNESOTA RIVER 
there is also good sport, especially about Big Stone Lake, the 
source of the Minnesota. 

Lake Traverse, just over the dividing ridge, and one of the sources 
of the Red River of the North, is equally as good for sport as Big 
Stone Lake. 

These two lakes, extending for about 50 miles north and south, 
form part of the boundary line between Minnesota and Dakota. 
The waters of one flow into the Gulf of Mexico, and the other into 
Hudson's Bay, yet their head-waters are only about one-fourth of a 
mile apart. 

Although one third of the State of Minnesota is said to be covered 



NORTHERN LAKES. 33 



with forest, brook trout are not abundant. Only in the northeastern 
part of tne State, and especially in the streams flowing into Lake 
Superior, can they be had in any quantity. 

In the vicinity of ST PAUL and MINNEAPOLIS there are a 
great many lakes, most of which produce the ordmary fish. White 
Bear Lake and several others furnish Wall-Eyed Pike, in addition 
to the usual species. Minnetonka Lake, with its hundred thousand 
visitors each year, still produces quantities of fish and some small 
game 

Several of the lakes ot Douglas county, contain besides the usual 
varieties, together with white-fish, a bass variously designated: 
Oswego, silver and gray bass. It is equal to the black bass in 
gaminess and flavor. 

Routes to Minnesota, 

From Chicago there are three principal trunk lines to St. Paul 
and Minneapolis. 

The CHICAGO, ST. PAUL, MINNEAPOLIS «fe OMAHA 
RAILWAY is one, and has been i^reviously" described, under the 
head of " Routes to Lake Superior." 

The Route to St. Paul via the WISCONSIN CENTRAL R. R. 
has only recently been opened up; the completion of that portion of 
the line lying west of Chippewa Falls having been necessary, in order 
to form a through route from Milwaukee and Chicago. It is now to 
be considered one of the trunk lines. It passes en route the cities ol 
Stevens Point, Chippewa Falls and New Richmond; and crosses the 
St. Croix River a few miles above Stillwater. 

The route via the CHICAGO, MILWAUKEE & ST. PAUL 
RAILWAY is as follows: After leaving Milwaukee the traveler 
passes through some of the most charming scenery to be met with 
in the North-west. Objects of interest follow one another through- 
out the entire journey. Pewaukee, Hartland, Nashatah and Ocono- 
mowoc, remind us ot the beautiful lakes we are passing and of 
those hidden from view just beyond the groves and the hills, as we 
move along. At Watertown the Rock River is crossed, and at Kil- 
bourn the Wisconsin; where are to be seen many fascinating 
glimpses of the far-famed "Dells." Then for many miles the cas- 
tellated mounds, previously mentioned, present themselves on 
either side to the view of the tourist, as the train glides softly on. 

At La Crosse the Mississippi River is spanned, and thenceforth the 



34 



NORTHERN LAKES. 



road follows along the banks of the Monarch stream until St. Paul 
is reached, passing on the way several beautiful cities and the 
famous Lake Pepin. 

The C, M. & St. P. Ry. have another line to St. Paul via Madison, 
Prairie du Chien, Owatonna, etc., besides there are several other 
lines over which one can reach St. Paul; but they are each one 
hundred miles longer than either of the three first mentioned routes. 

For SOUTHERN MINNESOTA. The CHICAGO & NORTH- 
WESTERN RAILWAY, via Madison, Elroy and Winona; or the 
CHICAGO, MILWAUKEE & ST. PAUL via La Crosse, or Prairie 
du Chien, are the most desirable routes. 




MINNE-OPA FALLS, NEAR MANKATO. MINN. 



POINTS OF INTEREST 

IN 

MICHIG-AN - LOWER PENINSULA. 



The Lower Peninsula of Michigan, especially the northern part 
of it, varies somewhat from the country we have been describing, 
but not so much as to affect the varieties of game and fish. Here, 
too, is a "Land of Lakes" as lovely and inviting as nature anywhere 
provides. The great forests of Michigan have not all been taken yet 
by the ruthless hand of the destroyer. Game is still plentiful. 
Deer, bear, grouse, wild turkey, quail, and water-fowl abound. 
The lakes and streams swarm with pickerel, pike, muskalonge, trout, 
and that other most dainty fish, the grayling. 

There are two principal routes leading to the northern lakes of 
Southern Michigan, viz., the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad, 
which pierces the " Grand Traverse region" and the Michigan Cen- 
tral Railroad, which passes more to the east, touching Saginaw Bay 
and penetrating the heart of Michigan's pine forest. 

Eft route for the GRAND TRAVERSE region the sportsman 
from Chicago can take either one of several railway lines eastward 
to a point of intersection with the Grand Rapids and Indiana Rail- 
road, and then proceed directly northward to destination. From 
southern and eastern points the traveler need not come to Chicago 
at all. 

Eighty-five miles beyond Grand Rapids the sportsman will have 
fairly entered upon the borders of a "land of lakes and streams." 
At Tustin, Clam Lake, and the crossing of Manistee River, a 
stream famous for its fine grayling, the sportsman will do well to 
tarry. If Traverse City is the point of destination the traveler will 
change cars at Walton Junction. 

TRAVERSE CITY is situated upon a penmsula formed by the 
Boardman River and Grand Traverse Bay, and is a splendid point 
for fishermen's headquarterp. 



86 NORTHERN LAKES. 



The bay is a beautiful sheet of water, and is remarkably clear, so 
that a stranger is always deceived as to the depth in which he is 
fishing. The bay contains muskalonge, white-fish, bass, lake trout 
and pickerel in great abundance, and the adjoining small lakes are 
similarly stocked, with the exception of lake trout. These lakes are 
situated at a distance of from three to twelve miles from Traverse 
City, as follows: Cedar Lake, three miles; Long Lake, six miles; 
Bass Lake, eight miles; Carp Lake, eight miles; Traverse Lake, ten 
miles, and Betsie Lake, twelve miles. The Boardman River, which 
here empties into Grand Traverse Bay, is considered to be one of 
the finest trout streams in Michigan, and all its numerous tribu- 
taries are stocked with thousands of this delicious fish. 

This portion of the State is not only a rich field for the sportsman, 
but, if he times his visit in the early autumn, he will find the orch- 
ards laden with luscious fruit, the peaches of this section being 
especially fine in appearance and flavor. Camping-out is preferred 
by many sportsmen, but good accommodations can be had at the 
country inns and farm houses, and at trifling cost. 

From Traverse City to Petoskey the country is broken, its hills 
covered with magnificent maple forests. Nestled in its valleys are 
some twenty pretty lakes, varying in size, some twenty miles long, 
others of lesser note, all clear as crystal, and abundantly stocked 
with the finer varieties of fish. There are six quite large rivers— 
the Boardman, Cedar, Rapid, Boyne, Jordan and Bear. These, with 
their numerous tributaries, are alive with brook trout. Eight years 
ago this was an unbroken forest, known only to lumbermen. To- 
day there are probably two hundred summer cottages and quite a 
number of comfortable hotels. Five summer resort associations 
have been formed — three on Little Traverse Bay, near Petoskey, and 
two at Charlevoix, eighteen miles down the coast. 

Returning by rail to Walton Junction, Fife Lake, four miles north 
on the main line, is reached. Bass, pike, and pickerel in the lake, 
grayling in the Manistee, five miles southeast, and brook trout in 
the Boardman, six miles north, are the attractions of this locality 
Continuing north, the traveler next finds himself at Kalkaska, on 
the Boardman River, already referred to as an excellent trout 
stream. Three miles northwest is Rapid River, one of the finest 
trout waters known. 

Still farther north the railroad passes within a few miles of the 
head-waters of the Intermediate, Grass, Jordan, Deer, and Boyne 



NORTHERN LAKES. 37 



Rivers, all excellent trout streams, and the latter is also well stocked 
with grayling. Boyne Falls Station, on the Boyne River, is in the 
centre of a very fine trout region, being distant only a few miles 
from the Jordan, which is regarded by many as being by far the best 
trout stream in North America. 

PETOSKEY, a very pretty village, is situated on the south side 
of Little Traverse Bay, at the foot of the high bluffs which here 
line the water's edge. The neighborhood is one of surpassing 
beauty, and the view of the bay and of Lake Michigan is of un- 
speakable loveliness. To the north, just across the bay, is the village 
of Harbor Springs. 

Continuing northward, the road reaches MACKINAW CITY, on 
the Straits of Mackinac, thirty-five miles from Petoskey. At Oden, 
a station five miles from Petoskey, situated at the head of Crooked 
Lake, connection is made with steamers of the Inland Route for 
Cheboygan, passing through Crooked Lake, Crooked River, Burt 
Lake, Indian River, Mullet Lake and Cheboygan River, a route 
noted for its sublime scenery, as well as for the fine fishing to be 
found at many points. 

CHARLEVOIX, situated on Lake Michigan, eighteen miles 
nearly south-west from Petoskey, is reached daily from Petos- 
key by Hannah, Lay & Co.'s line of steamers. The location 
is picturesque— at the mouth of Pine River, which stream forms 
a passage into Pine Lake for the largest lake steamers. The 
great trout streams of Michigan, the Jordan, and Boyne, as well as 
others, are of easy access by steamers plying on Pine Lake. 

TORCH LAKE, the next point of interest, is reached by steamer 
from Charlevoix. It is situated about one half mile from Grand 
Traverse Bay, at the head of the beautiful sheet of water bearing 
the same name. 

The trip from Charlevoix to Elk Rapids is a most delightful pas- 
time, besides giving the sportsman an opportunity of stopping off 
at some of the finest fishing grounds in northern Michigan. 

The side wheel steamer " Queen of the Lakes " makes regular 
trips through the chain of inland lakes, and will drop its passengers 
off at any point desired. 

Steaming a few miles down Torch Lake we touch at a landing 
known as Russell's, where a stage is in readiness to convey visitors 
to Intermediate Lake. If the tourist desires, he can be dropped at 
the mouth of Clam Lake, which flows into the east side of Torch 



38 NORTHERN LAKES. 



Lake, Passing up Clam Lake he will presently come to a narrows 
leading into Grass Lake, which is joined to Intermediate River, a 
stream affording fine fishing. Continuing down Torch Lake to its 
end, the steamer enters Torch River, a crooked stream three miles 
long, with charming windings through the woods, and thence 
passes into Round Lake, a body of water about two miles in breadth 
by four in length. Then from Round Lake it passes into another 
connecting channel called the Narrows, which leads to Elk Lake. 
Rapid River enters Torch River about midwa}^ and this, too, is 
a fine trout stream. Passing through Elk Lake, the steamer 
finally reaches Elk Rapids. 

Along the MICHIGAN CENTRAL line soon after passing Bay 
City, the sportsman enters upon an Eldorado. Just beyond OTSEGO 
LAKE a summer resort of fine prospects, we come to STE. HEL- 
EN'S STATION, where there is a charming lake four miles in 
length, abounding in bass, pike and perch. Here is one of the 
sources of the Au Sable River, a stream famous for its fine fish. 

At ROSCOMMON STATION an arm of the Au Sable River is 
crossed; swift> clear, crooked, and its waters alive with grayling, 
hundreds of which may be caught in a day by any skilled angler; 
while the vast forests along the banks abound with deer, turkey, 
and other game, including an occasional black bear. Five miles 
from Roscommon, by a beautiful drive through the pine woods, is 
Higgins Lake, ten miles long and four wide, surrounded by romantic 
scenery. The lake has no inlet, and the water in the center has 
Deen sounded nine hundred feet without finding bottom. The 
water is so clear that a nickel can be seen on the bottom at a depth 
ot forty feet, and it has the peculiarity of always showing at least 
four distinct colors on the surface, dark purple, blue, and two shades 
of green. On picturesque points, around the shores are groups of 
summer hotels and cottages, pagodas, boat and bath houses, and all 
the evidences of a fashionable resort. The water swarms with bass, 
pickerel, land locked salmon, native white fish, and the finest perch 
that are found in this country. A few miles away is Houghton 
Lake, one of the largest and most romantic of all the inland lakes, 
Its waters are full of fish, black bass weighing from six to eight 
pounds being common. 

At GRAYLING STATION the main Au Sable River is crossed, 
and seven miles west is the Manistee River, botli famed for their 
grayling fishing. The two rivers head within a mile of each other, 



NORTHERN LAKES. 



one flows into Lake Huron and the other into Lake Michigan. 
Every description of game is found in the forests and jungles along 
their shores. Grayling is a flourishing little town in the heart of a 
wild and picturesque region. Near it is Portage Lake, one of the 
most beautiful sheets of water in the State. With its delightful 
climate, fine hunting and fishing, and pleasant society, Grayling 
has every requisite of a popular summering place, and is the great 
center of the grayling fishing region. 

CHEBOYGAN, where the Michigan Central tram sweeps out m 
sight of the green waters of Huron, and the white crested waves of 
the Straits of Mackinac, is a beautiful little city of four thousand 
inhabitants, with broad, white beaches, and a fleet of yachts and 
row boats always at command. The surrounding lakes abound 
with white-fish, lake trout, pickerel, pike, muskalonge, bass and 
perch while the streams swarm with grayling and brook trout. 
Deer Ire plenty in the neighboring forests, some bears are found in 
the deeper glades, and every lakeside is alive with ducks, snipe and 
other small game. At Cheboygan is the eastern end of a chain of 
exquisite lakes and rivers, that cut the peninsula entirely m two; 
and a trip on the dainty little steamer, that makes daily trips 
through this necklace of lakelet beads strung on a silver-river 
thread is one of the delights of a season. A run of six miles up the 
Cheboygan River and Mullet Lake is reached. This is a magnificent 
sheet of water, twelve miles long and si^ miles wide. It is two 
hundred feet deep, with sloping beaches of white sand, and waters 
clear as crystal, and literally alive with black bass, pickerel, muska- 
longe, and swarms of splendid white-fish, of which great numbers 
are taken by spearing. Muskalonge weighing from forty-five to 
fortv-eight pounds have frequently been caught. 

Sturgeon River, which empties into Indian River near Indian 
River Station, is said to afford as fine grayling fishing as any stream 
in the old or new world. , 

The Trout Brook and Little Black River, near Cheboygan, aoound 
with brook trout, and a good fisherman can easily catch from one 
to three hundred a day. ^ -, , 

Thp vast wild-rice fields at the liead of Mullet Lake afford splen- 
did duck shooting, and snipe and woodcock are abundant. Deer 
and bear are found in plenty, and the whole region is a sportsman s 

^^From Mackinaw City, the terminus of both the Grand Rapids & 



40 



NORTHERN LAKES. 



Indiana, and the Michigan Central Railways, the staunch steamer, 
Algomah, connects with all trains for ST. IGNACE, the eastern ter- 
minus of the Detroit, Mackinac & Marquette R. R., and for MACK- 
INAC ISLAND, the far-famed "Wonderful Isle," the " Gem of 
the Straits." A description of the island seems hardly necessary, as 
its beauties and attractions have so often been dwelt upon by many 
eminent writers. 

For the sportsman Mackinac offers ample facilities for reaching 
desirable fishing grounds, and for obtaining outfits. 

Twelve miles to- the northeast, scattered along the southern shore 
of the Upper Peninsula, are the Chaneaux Islands, an enchanting 
cluster of some seventy-five or eighty beautiful islands, varying 
from two miles in length to mere green spots a hundred feet across, 
dotting the crystal waters which rush by, twenty to forty feet deep 
in the narrowest channel. Here, truly, is the home of the gamy 
black bass, the voracious pickerel, the delicate white fish, the 
beautiful lake trout, the muskalonge and the perch. 




JORDAN RIVER, M'CH. 



THE ART OF FISHING. 



The "regular season" for fishing is between the months of April 
and November. The best time of the day during the summer 
months is from sunrise to two or three iiours after, and from two 
hours preceding sunset until an hour after tiiat time In the colder 
months the best hours are from twelve to three for the fish are shy 
at biting untiJ the air is warmed by the sun A warm, lowering day 
is, of all others, the most propitious; on a cloudy day, also, suc- 
ceeding a moonlight night, the fish will bite readily, the most 
favorable winds are south and south-west— easterly the most un- 
favorable. 

Avoid a position w^here a shadow will be cast upon the water Do 
not indulge in laughter or loud conversation; and m every way be 
as unnoticeable as possible. Many people believe, erroneously, that 
fish have no understanding; nevertheless the presence of an animal 
or bird does not frighten them or cause them to shun the surface of 
the water as does the presence of a man. 

If the water be still, throw in small quantities of ground bait; if 
a strong current, large pieces, do this quietly and cautiously, for 
fish are so wary and suspicious that it requires the nicest delicacy 
and management to circumvent them 

When there is a strong wind the angler must seek an eddy or 
sheltered pool for thither the fish w^ill be attracted by the flies and 
other baits which the w^ind may have blown into it. 

FISHING TACKLE,— For general purposes a rod of about 
twelve feet in length is the most convenient, but fifteen and even 
eighteen foot rods are sometimes used when the nature of the 
« grounds '" require it, 

LINES should be perfectly twisted, even, and of a color as near 
the shade of water as possible A light brown^ gray or white are 
colors preferred by the practical angler- The castmg-line for fly 
fishing — that which is aflixed to the line on the reel — must be of gut, 



42 THE A.RT OF FISHING 



and of about the same length as the rod it should be of a (iniform 
thickness and its strength tested before using. 

FLOATS are usually procured with other tackle, but some prefer 
making their own. In this case a fine grained cork is perforated by 
using a small red-hot iron, and through this aperture is put a quill 
that exactly fits, then the cork should be cut into the shape of a 
pear, and ground smooth with pumice-stone. If durability and 
gayety be desired, a coat of varnish applied over some bright colored 
paint will then be in order. A cork float should swim perpendicu 
larly in the water, so that it may betray the slightest nibble, and 
should be carefully poised by fastening a lew shot on the line. 

A REEL is a very useful assistant to the angler, as it enables him to 
lengthen or shorten his line rapidly, thereby allowing him to play 
his fish with the greatest ease and certainty. It must be kept per- 
fectly clean and well oiled. 

When fastening the hooks on your lines, use strong, but fine silk 
and if you can get it near the color of your bait, so much the better; 
wax the silk thoroughly with shoemakers' wax, and wrap it four or 
five times around the body of the hook, then place the gut or hair 
on the inside of your hook, and continue winding the silk tightly 
round till you have wrapped it about three parts down the hook 
Whipping is finished ofi by slipping the end of the silk through the 
last circle and drawing it tight Knotting, by laying two pieces of 
gut or hair together, one overlapping the other some three inches or 
so, then holding one end m the left hand, while forming a simple 
slip knot on it; then turning the other end to the right, and doing 
the same, after that drawing the two together, which makes the 
knot complete. No direct pull will ever loosen this water-knot, 
though i t can be undone easily. 

' The common angle worm is a universal bait for fresh water 
angling They grow almost everywhere except in sandy soils. The 
common white grub is also used successfully in trout fishing. They 
are found in fresh-ploughed earth and under old stumps, decaying 
foliage, etc Trout or salmon spawn will attract trout quicker than 
any other possible bait, but it is not always to be had. Grasshoppers, 
caterpillars, flies, locusts, beetles, etc., are also good for trout. The 
minnow and other small fish are very popular live baits The frog 
is an excellent bait for pickerel They are sometimes used whole, 
but when the hind legs are used they should be skinned The crab 
and also the clam is often used in northern waters 



THE ART OF FISHING. 43 



Baits are preserved in various ways Angle ^^orms can be retained 
fresh and active by packing them in an earthen j^ot with common 
moss. The moss should first be washed in clean water and pressed 
almost dry Every three or four days the washing must be repeated, 
by which process the worms may be kept iu excellent condition for 
as Jong a time as desired. 

SALMON and TROUT ROE are tempting baits for many other 
fresh water fish besides the trout. Old fishermen preserve it as follows 
Ijrst put it m warm water, not hot enough to scald much— then 
separate the membranous films— rinse it well in cold water and hang 
It up to dry The next day salt it with two ounces of salt and a 
quarter of an ounce of saltpetre to the pound of roe. Let it stand 
another day and then spread it to dry. When it becomes stiff jDut 
it in small pots, pouring over each some melted mutton tallow. You 
can then use a pot of preparation as you may want it for bait. It is 
excellent; for almost any fry in fresh water. 

' PASTE BAITS are made as follows: Shrimp paste is made from 
shrimps., being prepared in every respect similar to the salmon-roe, 
Defore given. Wheat, rye, barley and other grains, soaked in water 
and then boiled in milk, are good baits for small fish in still water 
Soft bread and honey, kneaded together, is also good. Grated 
cheese worked into paste with soft bread, honey, and saffron, is fre- 
quently used. 

The PIKE or PICKEREL is fond of shady places, and in summer 
he frequents the parts of the stream nearest where the pickerel weed 
srrows. Pickerel generally spawn in March or April. In winter they 
get under rocks, or stumps, or into convenient deep holes, and they 
can be taken then with small live fish bait. In rivers you can gen 
erally catch jjickerel near the mouth of some small stream empty ing 
into the river , the fall of the year is the best time for catching 
them. In the hot summer months they seldom bite at all, except, 
perhaps, on a very wmdy day. In the fall, too, they are in better 
condition In the more northern waters they are sometimes taken 
as early as August. 

The tackle generally used for pickerel, is a stiff ten foot rod, with a 
reel and some 50 oi 60 yards of flax line, which should be protected 
near the hook with gimp or wire The Limerick or Kirby salmon 
hook IS used. The size is to 5, according to the size of the fish. 
Iu a running stream, both the sinker and float will be found neces- 
sary . The bait should be a small live fish, or frog, or the hind leg 



44 THE ART OF FISHING. 



of a frog skinned. Worms are sometimes used in small streams, 
where the water is clear, and the game small. In using live bait, 
when the pickerel takes it, do not draw your line too quickly. The 
bait itself, if properly impaled, will be very lively and will be apt 
to make a violent effort to escape its enemy. Inexperienced ang 
lers may take this movement for a veritable bite; but when the 
bite comes, there is no mistaking it. In impaling a small fish for 
bait, pass the hook under the back fin, just under the roots of its 
rays. This will not disable the fish, and it will appear lively in the 
water. When using live frog bait, you pass the hcok through tlie 
skin of the back or belly or the back muscle of the hind legs. The 
live frog is generally used on the top of the water— if not, you should 
let him rise occasionally to take air, When the pickerel has 
seized your bait, give him plenty of time to swallow it, and also 
plenty of line Somtimes he will hold it in his mouth and play with 
it before gorging. On brmging him to land, be careful of his jaws, 
for he has a set of teeth sharp as r^eedles. 

THE PERCH spawns a^ the end of April or beginning of May, 
depositing it upon weeds, or the branches of trees or shrubs that 
have become immersed in the water; it does not come into con- 
dition again until July. The best time tor fishing for perch is 
from September to February . it haunts the neighborhood of heavy 
deep eddies, camp sheathings, beds of wreds, with sharp streams 
near, and trees or bushes growing m or overhanging the water The 
baits for perch are minnows, brandling or lob worms, and shrimps. 
The tackle should be fine but strong, as with a fish bait a trout or 
pike may frequently be liooked. Perch, unlike fish of prey, are gre- 
garious, and m the winter months when the frosts and floods have 
destroyed and carried away the beds of weeds, congregate together 
in the pools and eddies, and are then to be angled for with greatest 
success from 10 to 4 o'clock at the edge of the streams forming 
such eddies, 

TROUT, which are caught in the numerous running streams of 
the United States, vary in color, appearance and size, with the 
quality of the soil pertaining to the streams they inhabit. The 
fish called 'black trout, which are found in sluggish muddy 
streams do not l^elong properly to the species. Trout will vary 
as much in shape and flavor as in the color. They spawn in Sep- 
tember and October, and the time for taking them is in the Spring 
and Summer, You may fish lor trout until the 20th of August, 



THE ART OF FISHING. ^^ 



though the finest ones are taken in the months of May and June. 
They bite the best in March and April. 

You can hook trout in several ways. Some prefer fly fishmg, and 
this is the most interesting mode in summer. The rod to be used 
should be light, and the line made of hair, or silk . The fly should 
be placed on a length of gut, or a single light hair. Do not fish with 
vour back to the sun. Stand as far from the stream as circumstances 
will allow. Always throw your line from you-never whip it out. 
Fly-fishing is only suitable for pleasant weather. The best time 
of day is early in the morning or just at sunset. The line should 
be about half as long again as the rod. It should be thrown uP 
stream, and let the fly gradually float down, and if possible fall 
into the eddies where the fish are'apt to retreat in case of alarm. Let 
your line fall into the stream lightly and naturally, and when you 
raise it, do so gently and by degrees. Only a small part of the line 
is allowed to be in the water. The end, or leader, should, as before 
stated, be a single light hair, if you can get one, as the trout is ex- 
tremely shy and suspicious. If you stand on the bank of the 
stream, throw your line as far up as possible, as you cannot expect 
to catch a trout opposite or below where you are standing. If 
bushes intervene between you and the stream, (which is all the bet- 
ter,) do not rustle them or make a noise. 

The usual length of a rod for trouting is fourteen feet, though 
longer or shorter ones may be used, according to fancy or conven- 
ience. The bottom of the line, unless you have a light hair, should 
be strong silk-worm gut. The size of the hook will depend upon 
your flies. Nos. 4 and 5 are used for worms and beetles, and 7 to 9 
for small flies. If the flies are too small, put two on the hook, as 
these insects frequently fall into the water in couples. The largest 
and best trout lie in shallow water, faced up stream, or else they 
lie near the surface. They are found on the south, or shady side 
of the stream. It is necessary to be exceedingly cautious not to 
show yourself, for if they see you they vanish for the day. Grass- 
hoppers and other small field insects are frequently used with suc- 
cess when other baits fail. 

Worm-:Fishing for trout is practiced with similar caution. Al- 
ter a rain, when the water of th3 brook is a little riley, you can 
catch trout by this mode— sometimes very rapidly. It is usually 
practiced in the spring. A single split shot will generally be enough 
to sink your line, unless the stream is deep and rapid. The rod 



46 THE ART OF FISHING. 



should be of bamboo, 16 to 20 feet long, and the line shorter than 
the rod. Keep the point of your rod exactly above the bait, steadily 
following it, as the bait drags along the bottom. When the fish 
takes the bait, do not let him run with it, but keep a steady hand. 
Do not jerk, but play gradually with him. If the day be clear, and 
the stream shallow, the best way as to wade up the stream cauti- 
ously, throwing your line far up, and letting it come gradually to- 
wards you. The fish always heads up stream, and you should not 
fail to remember if he once sees you he vanishes. 

Bottom Fishing with blue-bottle flies is practiced as follows:— 
Use a silk or fine hair line, with gut leader, and a small quill-float. 
Hook No. 10 is about the proper size. You will want one or two 
split shot on the line. Fill a glass bottle with the common blue- 
bottle-fly. Bait your hook with two of these flies, and let it sink 
nearly to the bottom. In this way you may catch trout in ponds, 
or deep water deposited by running streams, and often in the slack 
w^ater of mill dams, when you could not catch them in the stream 
itself. This kind of trout fishing is practiced in July and August. 

When neither fly-fishing nor bottom-fishing can be practiced, in 
consequence of forbidding circumstances of water and season, 
trolling can be resorted to as an excellent substitute. Trolling is 
divided into three parts, viz: sinking and roving, trolling with gauge 
and snap-hooks and spinning. Sinking and roving is practiced with 
a live bait; a minnow or roach for the common trout or perch; 
bleak, gudgeon, dace, or roach, for pike or large trout. The best 
general bait for all sorts of trolling is the gudgeon. The rod used 
should be a long bottom one, with a good winch, and prepared 
plaited silk trolling line. For foot line, about a yard and a half of 
the best gut. The link to which the hook is tied, should be of fine 
gimp, if pike are sought for; but gut, or three-twisted hairs, will do 
for trout and perch. The baits must be strong and lively, and 
placed on the hooks with as little injury to them as possible. Allow 
the bait to swim here and there, generally at mid-water, but in deep 
placvs, deeper, drawing it up gently to the surface now and then, 
letting it sink again, and guiding it to the best looking spots of the 
locality. Snap-baits are mostly used at seasons when pike do not 
feed with sufficient voracity to pouch their baits promptly. Their 
merit lies in allowing the troller to strike quickly, before the fastid- 
ious fish, suspecting something wrong, has time to eject the bait 
from his mouth. The rod used must be short and stiff. Snap bait? 



THE ART OF FISHING. 



are two-fold — one, which does not spring when you strike the fish, 
and the other which does. The first- named consists of three hooks 
— two large ones, tied back to back, with their bai-bs pointing differ- 
ent ways ; and one smaller hook tied on at the top of the shanks of 
the others, and pointing straight out from them. The spring-snap 
is generally used with dead bait; it requires deep insertion in the 
bait to allow the spring to act. which it will not do without some 
considerable resistance. Spinning is a dashing, killing method of 
angling, and the practice of it requires considerable muscular exer- 
tion. The best spinning rod is made of a single piece of East India 
mottled cane, fourteen or sixteen feet long, well ringed, with a screw 
winch, requiring no winch fittings. With a rod of this description, 
large trout can be trolled for in the deepest and widest waters. In 
narrow streams, the angler can spin with a very small portion of 
line out, and almost avoid casting, the length of the rod allowing 
the bait to be dropped noiselessly wherever it is wished, and to 
spin it accordingly. The baits used in spinning should be of the 
most brilliant colors, the brightest minnows, or gudgeons, you can 
procure. The hooks used in spinning should be of the briglit steel 
color of the wire, not changed to the ordinary blue hue of hooks; 
and they should be whipped on with light colored silk, waxed with 
white wax. You can use the live bait, or an artificial bait, as is 
convenient. Some sportsmen are very fortunate with the artificial 
bait. A stiff rod and reel, with the same tackle as before described, 
and no sinker — is all that is required. The boat should move gently, 
and let your line drag far in the rear. With artificial bait the fish 
is hooked almost instantly. If you use live bait be exceedingly care- 
ful in determining when the fish has gorged it. You should give 
him several minutes after he has seized it, for this purpose. On see • 
ing the bait, a pickerel will generally run off with it, and will then 
stop to gorge it, but does not always do so. The sign that he has 
swallowed it, is a peculiar slackening of the line, which experienced 
anglers can easily understand. But if he has not gorged the bait, he 
will soon start on a second time, and sometimes will stop and start 
off the third time. In these cases, you should never be in a hurry. 
When you are convinced that he has taken down the bait, draw a 
tight line, and strike for your fish. If he is large, you should play 
with him until he is quite exhausted, or you may lose him in the 
attempt to land. The difficulty of taking a pickerel from the hook 
may be obviated in a measure by gagging him. For this purpose some 



48 THE ART OF FISHING. 



anglers provide themselves with prepared sticks of various lengths. 
If the hook is completely swallowed, as is frequently the case, open 
the stomach in the middle, cut away the hook, and slipping the 
knot that holds the gimp, draw it out that way rather than through 
the mouth. 

BLACK BASS — the small-mouthed variety," says a well known 
angler, " is the only fish worthy of being called a substitute for the 
trout and salmon. One of the most prolific and hardy fish, living 
and thriving in waters where no member of the salmon family could 
survive, the small-mouthed black bass is without doubt the coming 
game fish of this country. There is yet much ignorance of its hab- 
its and characteristics, even among sportsmen who are supposed to 
be 'up' in all things pertaining to game fish.'"' 

There are many ways of fishing for the black ba?s, the most scien- 
tific and sportsmanlike, but the most unsatisfactory as to results as 
a general thing, being fly-fishing. Trolling, both with minnow and 
spoon, is a favorite style of fishing for bass, and still-fishing with 
many varieties of bait is another. As to fly fishing, and in fact all 
kinds of fishing for bass, there is a great diversity of opinion among 
sportsmen, arising from the fact that locality has much to do with 
determining the best taking methods. That special flies for partic- 
ular waters are necessary, all experience and observation have 
settled beyond dispute, and, therefore, the fly fisherman needs to 
observe the prevailing conditions of the locality where he intends 
to cast his lines if he would have the aroma of a bass in his basket. 
"The state of the weather, wind, clouds, sun, and water," says a 
veteran bass fisherman, " and the special food the bass are seeking, 
on the day, all have to be considered." Generally, early in the 
season, where the water is high and discolored — speaking now as to 
streams— light-colored, white, and gray flies and bright tinsel- 
bodied flies are the most enticing. Later, dark brown, black, green, 
and orange-bodied flies are the most attractive. Although there are 
hundreds of varieties of combinations of the colors used in making 
bass-flies, Seth Green says that there are really only four different 
flies necessary for successful bass-fishing — provided, of course, that 
the angler knows how to use them. These four are the Grizzly 
King, the Gov. Alvord, the Seth Green, and a fly made with white 
goose feathers wings, red worsted body, wound with tinsel, grizzly 
hackle, with red on his tail. These four flies are used all at once on 
the leader in the following order: The upper fly on the leader is the 



THE ART OF FISHING. 49 



last one mentioned above, the next the Grizzly King, and the lower 
flies the Alvord and the Seth Green. The Ferguson-a peacock, 
yellow and scarlet combination-and the Page fly, a scarlet and 
guinea feather pattern, are also good. They may be procured at any 
tackle store, but the trouble generally with these ready-made flies 
is that they are tied on hooks of too large size. For Seth Green flies 
the hook should be no larger than a No. 1. A Sproat No. 2, or Lim- 
erick No. 1 is the proper size for a Ferguson fly. 

The baits that are used in still-fishing for black bass are numerous 
and varied. The live minnow, the common angle worm, grasshop- 
per crickets, beetles, frogs, fresh water mussels, crayfish, shrimp, 
and there is no rule for deciding which of these lures is 
the best, for one day the bass will give everything the go-by for 
the angle-worm, the next the clipper will be his choice, another day 
the grasshopper, and so on. The black bass is the most capricious 
fish in this respect that swims, and so it behooves the angler to have 
a variety of baits in his boat, and in good condition, for, while the 
bass is a thorough gormandizer, he is particular as to the serving of 

his feasts. . 

Still-fishing, so called because the angler remains stationary m a 
boat anchored in the fishing ground or fishes from the shore, is the 
simplest, but most commonplace and unexciting of all the methods 
employed to kill bass. A twelve-foot rod, not too stiff, a strong line, 
as inconspicuous as possible in the water, and a hook neither too 
large nor too small- say a No. 1, and a large fund of patience make 
up the outfit of the still-fislierman. 

A black bass always swallows a minnow head first. The mmnow 
should be hooked through the back from side to side, above the 
backbone, just forward of the dorsal fin. If the hook strikes the 
backbone the minnow will soon die; if not, he will live and be 
lively for a long time. Many anglers prefer to use a cork or bobbin 
on their lines to gauge the depth of water, as it is best to have the 
minnow a foot or so above the bottom. The error that inexperienced 
anglers for bass make, when their bait is struck, is that when they 
see their line rushing away, and feel the strike of the fish, they 
" pull up." They never get their bass, and for an excellent reason. 
When a bass goes for a minnow, it goes like a railroad train, and 
striking the bait, carries it four or five feet before the impetus of 
the rush is overcome. Then it stops, and then the tyro thinks his 
time is come to hook his fish, but he simply jerks the hook away 



50 THE ART OF FISHING. 



from it. When the bass sto^DS he shifts the minnow in his mouth to 
get it head downward, proceeds to swallow it, and then moves away. 
At this moment the angler should give a quick jerk, not a "swishy" 
pull of his line out of the water, and he can safely bet that his bass 
is hooked. 

In fishing with cray-fish the bait must not be kept suspended in 
the water like the minnow, because the cray-fish lives on the bot- 
tom, and is there sought by the bass. A great annoyance in fishing 
with cray-fish is their tendency to crawl under stones and logs. A 
good plan to prevent this, in a measure, is to cripple the cray 
fish by breaking off one of its claws A bass always swallows a 
cray-fish tail first. The hook should be placed in under the bottom 
of the tail, near the body, and brought through to the back. The 
same precaution is necessary when the bass strikes a cray-fish as is 
required with the minnow if the angler would be successful in hook- 
ing his fish. If fishing from a boat, the angler should throw his 
bait as far from him as possible, and the finer his tackle the more 
likely he is to secure a good catch. With angle-worm, grasshopper, 
or the other small baits, the bass in striking usually takes them en- 
tire into his mouth at once, but even with them it is safer to wait 
for the second moving away of the bass before the attempt to hook 
him is made. The black bass angler should remember, also, that 
from June until September the best fishing is in deep water or under 
the shadow of dams or falls. In September and October they live 
more in rapid deep currents, lying in eddies formed by bowlders, tree 
roots, or half submerged logs. In lakes they lie where the shores 
and bottoms are rocky, and among the weeds and lily-pads. In 
trolling with a spoon the latter should be small and attractive. 

As a rule bass will not rise to the surface for the fly, and this is one 
reason that fly fishermen, unacquainted with the customs of the fish, 
and angling for it after the manner of casting for trout, have uni- 
formly failed of success with bass, and voted bass fishing a humbug. 
The brightest fly should be the highest on the leader, and the flies 
should be sunk nearly to the bottom, and trolled upward. The bass 
invariably darts for the bright fly, but, seeing the others on his way 
up, takes one or the other of them. If it is one of the upper flies, 
the chances are that before the fish is landed, another bass will have 
taken one of the flies below it, and the angler will find his skill taxed 
to the utmost by two of the hardest fighting fish in American 
waters. If the first bass is hooked on the lower fly, however, there 



THE ART OF FISHING. 51 



will be no strike by the second fish. While, as a rule, the bass will 
not rise to the surface for the fly, there are exceptions to the i-ule, 
especially on the edge of swift water, or of pools at the foot of dams 
or falls. Instances have been known of black bass rushing out of 
the water to meet the fly. But the surest way of taking bass with a 
fly is trolling beneath the surface. When casting for black bass in 
a river where there is a current, the flies should be thrown abreast 
of the current. As they swing around with it, keep the line taut 
and let them be carried with the water. When they have dropped 
to a position immediately below the angler, he should draw them 
toward him gently, and if there is a bass within sight of the gaudy 
lures it will make its presence known. The casts should be contin- 
ued in that order until the angler is satisfied he is having his labor 
for his pains. 

The Muskalonge. 

The Muskalonge belongs to the pike family, and is the largest of 
fresh-water fish, frequently weighing from thirty to sixty pounds. 
Similar rules and precautions should be observed in fishing for this 
" the wolf of the waters " as are required for pike and pickerel. 
Trolling is almost universally practiced, either with hand-line or, if 
the fisherman be an expert, with rod and reel, and in each case with 
a No. 8 Sliinner or similar spoon. 

The Northern JPike, 

The species known as northern pike is somewhat similar to the 
rnuskalonge, though the markings are entirely different. He does 
not grow to so large a size as the muskalonge and is only found in 
northern lakes. He is one of the gamiest of fresh water fish. He 
fights like a wild-cat from the time he is hooked until he is landed, 
or escapes, while the common pike or pickerel, makes a spurt or 
two when first hooked, and then allows you to drag him in as you 
would a chunk. 

The Sucker. — (Carp.) 

The sucker, like the cat-fish, and fiounder, rather prefers streams 
with muddy bottoms, but it appears that they will thrive in almost 
any fresh water, and it will not be long before angling for carp in 
our northern waters will become quite common, through the 
"plants" of the fish commissioners. 



53 THE ART OF FISHING. 



Carp should be fished for with a line some fifty feet in length, 
done up on a reel, and without a pole. There should be six or seven 
hooks on the line, baited with stale light bread which will float on 
the surface of the water, where the carp comes to suck it down. 
When they have taken the bait and begin to feel the hook, they 
start off. Then reel up the line, playing them until they are 
worried out and are ready for landing. When one is caught, the 
others become very shy, and can not be induced to come near for 
some little time. 

The Grayling. 

This beautiful fish, only in America, to be found in the waters of 
Northern Michigan, is of a purplish gray color, with silvery white 
belly, and small, bluish-black, irregular spots on the sides. The dor- 
sal fin, which is very large, has along its insertion a black line, next 
comes one of rosy pink, then a black one, and a final one of peach 
blooming tint. Beginning at the sixth ray is a row of dull green 
spots, then a row of fifty- six very small ray spots, and lastly a band 
of dusky hue. The average length of this beauty is about ten inches, 
but he has the strength and dash and gaminess of a young whale. 
The grayling, unlike the trout, loves the clear, sandy bottom, where 
the water is pure and not very swift or deep. They are found in 
schools, almost beyond number, lying side hj side, with those many- 
colored dorsal fins waving like rainbow banners in a gentle breeze. 
Make a motion or a sound, and they are off like a thousand flashes 
of prismatic sunshine, only to return when the scare is over. Wade 
into the stream above them, drop jour fly into the water and let it 
quietly float down over their pool. There is a sudden twirl, a wild 
rush in the region of your fly, and you have hooked the prince royal 
of piscatorial prizes. Carefully give him. the line, always keeping 
it " taut," and if you have two or more flies on your line, the 
chances are that you will speedily have a fish for every fiy, and then 
the battle begins. They fight desperately for life and liberty, and 
it requires all the skill imaginable to handle and land them. When 
the " playing" is done and the fish tired out with their struggles, 
they will lie almost motionless on the water as you reel them in. 
Slip your landing net with the greatest care under them, and your 
triumph is complete. The prettiest and gamiest fish of the new 
world lies like an animated prism in your basket. 



FISHING IN THE GREAT LAKES. 



A large proportion of the inhabitants residing upon the shores of 
Lake Superior, Michigan and Huron, are fishermen by profession, 
earning their living, not in the manner of the disciples of Isaac 
Walton, but by the use of 2:>ound nets. The ordinary angler when 
he casts Lis line in these great waters looks and feels exasperatiugly 
diminutive by the side of these wholesale fish butcheries. It has 
been estimated that Lake Superior alone produces annually over 
two million white-fish and trout, say nothing of the other varieties 
taken, whicli would certainly number together another million. 

The labor and capital required in managing these fisheries is far 
greater than is generally supposed. The " plants " are usually made 
in deep water, sometimes to the depth of eighty or ninety feet. 
The places selected for planting pound nets is at the edge of banks 
or shoals where the water rapidly deepens. Here the fish rise and 
seek the edge of the shoal in quest of small fish, on which they 
feed. The "pot" of the net is shaped like a heart, and wings are 
extended from the larger end of the heart, where there is an orifice 
for the fish to enter. In groping for the edge of the bank, the fish 
strike the wings, and, feeling along the wall of thread, they are soon 
entrapped in the heart, and are too unwise to contrive how to 
escape. The net is fastened to the bottom and kept in place by 
stakes or long slim poles of tamarack or maple, often ninety or a 
hundred feet in length. These have to be driven into the bottom 
six to eight feet. 

These stakes are peeled and smooth, so that rings, fastened in the 
end of the net, can run easily on them, up and down. When it is 
desired to "lift" a catch, three or four men go out in "pound 
boats," a craft as large as a yawl, and flat bottomed, and gradually 
raise the edges of the heart or pot of the net. They are generally 
rewarded with finding therein a flopping, plunging mass of trout 



54 THE ART OF FISHING. 



and whitefish, varying very little in size and weight. A good lift 
is from twelve hundred to two thousand pounds. At six cents a 
pound a lift is not an unprofitable job; in fact it is a lift of the kind 
men talk about oftener than they make. There are many men 
along these shores that have become wealthy in the fishing line. 
Some of them have a large capital invested in the business. The 
smaller fishermen use gill -nets, but their catch is smaller and not so 
valuable. The cost of planting an ordinary pound-net, including 
material, is eight hundred dollars. 

For fishing in waters where sturgeon is a specialty, an inch line 
a mile or more in length, containing perhaps three or four thousand 
hooks arranged on "snoods" of the proper length is often used. 
Large buoys are attached to the main line at intervals of about ten 
feet in order to keep it on the surface. Men follow along the line at 
regular hours attending to the "catch," detaching the fish, rebait- 
ing, etc., until a boat load is secured, when a return to the shore is 
in order. 



Winter Fishing, 

Spearing fish through a hole in the ice, practiced more or less in 
all parts of the country, although fascinating in the extreme, is not 
recognized as legitimate sport by those who engage in the diversions 
of the rod and line during the warm months only. If this is ille- 
gitimate then what can be said of the wholesale manner of " net- 
ting "fish under the ice, now largely practiced in all the Great 
Lakes. 

The professional fisherman does his work systematically, and 
usually without much discomfort, even if the thermometer does 
range from ten to twenty degrees below zero. He first erects upon 
the ice a small shanty, or a wigwam if the fisherman should happen 
to be an Indian, as is often the case. Within he keeps a good fire, 
either in a cheap stove or directly upon the ice. The fisherman 
himself is always warmly clothed with a triple supply of shirts and 
socks. The boots that he wears are of felt, with rubbers outside- 



THE ART OF FISHING. 55 



Moccasins are often worn over heavy German socks, and in these it 
is said the feet never get cold. An industrious fisherman will al 
ways associate himself with one or more of his neighbors, thereby 
facilitating the handling of the finny game. A co-partnership of 
this kind will often manage a number of nets, each of which they 
visit daily to make "a lift," as the process of examining the nets is 
called. When a sufficient number of fish are accumulated "to 
make a load/' all of which are frozen stiff the moment they are 
taken from the water, they are packed or carried loosely in a rough 
sled, or toboggan, by two or three dogs, to the nearest fish-buyer. 

A fisherman who is too poor to own a net, often goes angling or 
'bobbing'' as it is locally called. Others also "go bobbing" for 
the sport it affords. The same perseverance and luck attend them 
here as usually characterize their efforts in summer angling. 

A small round hole is made in the ice, through which the fisher- 
man drops his line, carrying a large hook, baited with a small 
herrmg, a piece of pork, or other meat. When the right depth of 
water is reached he does not have to wait long for a bite. Then he 
pulls out one of the finny monsters, a huge trout perhaps; if not, 
then it is a whitefish or a sturgeon, for they are almost as common. 
Those who make a business of "bobbing" sometimes attend to 
forty or fifty holes. At each of these holes is place* a forked stick, 
one prong holding the fish line, and to the other is attached a small 
red flag. When the fisherman sees one of the red flags go down he 
immediately rushes to the spot, and generally has the satisfaction of 
pulling out a fish of no mean proportions. It sometimes makes 
lively work for him, and flags go down faster than he can attend to 
them. 

The fisherman's life on the northern lakes, in some respects, is to 
be envied. He is active when necessity compels. He is happy 
when he has enough, and is always independent. His labors are in- 
variably supplemented with a frolic, and his heart is ever kind 
towards his fellow-men. And then how satisfying to eat the deli- 
cious whitefish, cooked in the good old way, fresh from the water, 
solid and plump. The good wife removes the skin, while the fish is 
still frozen, the process reminding one of peeling a banana. After 
thoroughly cleaning, the snowy flesh is rolled in flour and then fried 
with butter. Those who have never eaten the far-famed whitefish, 
dressed and cooked in its native home, know not the true delicacy 
of this, the most palatable of all the finny tribes. 




JUDSON FALLS, SLATE RIVER, NEAR LAKE GCGEBIC 



HOW TO SHOOT WILD GAME. 



WATER-FOWL, 



Care must be takeu not to fire too soon, distance being very decept- 
ive on water, many good aims are made worthless through mis- 
calculation. The scent of the water-fowl is exceedingly keen 
and to get within range it is better to keep to the leeward, than to 
bear directly down upon them. 

Ducks are hunted with decoys in the early spring and fall. Wild 
geese are shot from behind screens on the margins of lakes and 
rivers. The hunters decoy them by imitating their cries. Tame 
geese may also be used as decoys. 

Professionals sometimes lure ducks right up to the shore, where 
they can literally butcher them at their leisure. It is done by hav- 
ing on hand a red blanket, or scarf, or shirt, which is shaken in the 
sedge near the water, and if there are any ducks near they will 
swim right toward it, so close up that their breasts will touch the 
shore. It seems to fascinate them. When they are close up, a man 
may rise up and cock his gun without scaring them away; only 
keep the red object moving all the time. They will swim around in 
a circle, and the gunner, watching his chance, lets drive when he 
has a lot of them in range, raking in the greater part of the flock. 
This is commonly called playing them in. As many as forty have 
been killed in that way at one shot with both barrels. Those not 
shot will fly away a little distance, but in half an hour or so they 
can be played in the same way, and so on until the flock is about 
exterminated. Young birds are especially subject to be fascinated 
in this way, and often they can be toled from a distance of one hun- 
dred yards to the shore. A reddish colored dog, trained to i-un 
backward and f orw^ard along the beach, is excellent to attract them. 
Color alone will not atract them, but motion with it will. The idea is 
supposed to have come from the foxes. Old hunters tell of hav- 
ing seen a fox tole in a flock of ducks by running up and down the 



58 SHOOTING WILD FOWL. 



shore until they were close enough for him to snatch one by the 
head and make off to the woods with it. 

The most successful way of shooting ducks and geese is from a 
battery or rig, as the contrivance is termed. To prepare a battery 
take thirty or more yards of light muslin or canvas, and with 
oil color paint it to look like water. Tliis is stretched on a light 
frame, and fixed firmly on the windward side of a broad platform 
twelve feet long by eight feet wide. In the center of the platform, 
sunk below its surface and level with it at the top, is a water tight 
box, only big enough for the shooter to lie down in on his back, 
with his gun in his hands. Along the platform are rows of short 
pins, from which depend a series of weights that sink the platform 
until it does not show more than an inch or an inch and a half above 
the surface of the water. The painted canvas to windward keeps 
the water from swashing over and sinking the concern. Then 
around the platform for thirty yards are i:)laced over a hundred de- 
coy ducks, and the battery is complete. The keenest eye of either 
man or bird would fail to descry its existence at a little distance^ 
The shooter lies down in the coffin-like box, his feet leeward, witii 
another, his tender, in a small boat hidden in the sedge four or five 
hundred feet away. The shooter is absolutely helpless should any- 
thing happen to him. His communication with the tender must be 
by noiseless signs, and there he must lie and wait until a flock of 
ducks, attracted by the decoys, come within range Then he sits 
up, blazes away at them with both barrels, and sinks back to reload 
and wait for more. The dead ducks float off to be gathered in by 
the tender, who has chosen a position with reference to the direction 
of the wind. 

There are quite a number of varieties of duck to be met with in 
this section of country. Coots, the smallest of all the species, are 
rather numerous and easily taken. Sportsmen have killed hundreds 
of them in a few hours. They are a dumb sort of duck, and may be 
shot within a few yards. The sheldrake duck is a little larger than 
the coot, but is fishy, hardly eatable, and not valuable. The broad- 
bill is a good duck, medium -sized and very numerous, yet old 
sportsmen say twenty used to be killed for one that is killed now. It 
is only a moderate day's sport to kill a hundred or so from one rig, 
but reliable hunters tell of killing as many as 350 a day. Occasion- 
ally a man will drift into a flock of them and kill fifty to a hun- 
dred in an hour or so. 



SHOOTING WILD FOWL. 59 



Next to the broaclbills come the black ducks, which feed in shoal 
water, and do not dive like the others. They hunt around the 
meadows and on shallow flats, and are very wild, and one must hide 
very carefully to get near enough to them for a shot. The red- 
heads, or red headed broadbills, follow the black ducks in size, and 
delicacy of flavor. They are considered almost equal to the canvas- 
backs, and rank next to them in price. Of teal, which is an excel- 
lent duck and in steady demand, there are a great many, both the 
blue- winged in summer and the red- winged in winter. There are 
some canvas-backs, but much more numerous are the gray and the 
mallard ducks. There are many wood-duck and widgeon, and in 
winter time lots of whistlers. Brant are scarce now. They used to 
be plenty, and one man thought nothing of killing forty or fifty a 
day. They are from one to two-thirds as large as a goose. Of wild 
geese there are still a good many. 

Wood-Cock Shooting, 

The shooting of the wood-cock requires more skill and experience 
than any other game. It is an uncertain bird, that requires careful 
treatment, but is worth all the trouble. A team of small spaniels is 
all that is needed in the way of dogs; as nearly everything depends 
on the trigger. When the cover is beaten, look sharp for the cock, 
as your shot must depend very much on his humor, whether he is 
all alive or sluggish. Sometimes, he will not stir until fairly 
beaten out of the cover, and then a shot will bring him down. 
Then again he will be off and away almost before the cover has been 
touched. 

When in places likely to hold a cock, towards evening try the 
mosses, banks of rivulets, and boggy bottoms. At that time the birds 
are on the 'road ' or feed, and, consequently, are more easily met 
with than when laid up in the snug harbor of some old osier-bed, or 
beneath the root of some monarch of the forest. When flushed, 
the wood-cock seldom, if ever, pitches on feeding ground. 

''In the south, 'fire-hunting ' is usually practiced by those desirir^ 
specmiens of this extremely wily bird," says a southern sportsmaii, 
'' but they seem to have different habits there from here, or at least 
have better opportunities for evading the hunter and preventing him 
from enjoying the shooting of them from behind a dog. The 
swamps and brakes are so dense about the haunts of the wood-cock 
in Mississippi that it is next to impossible to make ,your way into 



GO SHOOTING WILD FOWL. 

them, and Id these great thickets the birds lie close all day. When 
night comes, however, they rise and seek the cultivated open lands, 
where the soil is soft and loamy, and where they feed, as they do 
here, on the worms that find their natural breeding places in such 
sod. The outfit ot a fire-hunter before the war consisted of a gun, a 
big pine-knot torch, and the strongest slave on the plantation, 
bmce the war the slave has been left out of the outfit, but the tradi 
tion is preserved by hirmg some muscular darkey to perform his 
duties. The torch might more appropriately be called a pillar of 
fire, for it is a fire, made of the fattest kind of pine-knots in a large 
iron wickerwork cage, secured to one end of a stout pole twelve or 
fifteen feet high, and carried aloft by the negro. It casts a bright 
light over an area of several rods around. The hunter or hunters, 
as soon as it is dark, proceed to the wood -cock ground. The torch 
bearer lights his pine-knots and walks slowly along. The hunter 
follows closely In the bright light he soon sees the lustrous, star 
ing ejez of the wood-cock, disturbed in its feeding, fixed with a 
startled look and apparent fascination on the glaring torch. Some 
hunters will not wait for the bird to rise, but will kill it as it sits. 
I he more scientific r^uuner waits till it riseo with its peculiar cry, 
and brings it down by a quick shot. The shot Jias got to be quick, 
too, for the bird :s zeeu but a second as ic ilasliGC up\/ard, and i:: then 
lost in the darkness beyond the bonndarier: of the torch rr.ys To 
bring down a wood-cock before it escapee in ihc darkness requires a 
hunter that !raow"c his business. It ofteo lir.ppc:is that a score o2 
birds will rise Bjt the same time and vv^hirr for an instant i:i the glare 
of the torch, and co, ^^enerally- there are several Iiunters in a party, 
and one evening's fire-hunting may result in tho parking of a hun- 
dred birds or more." 

Snipe Shootinrjo 

Snipe are to be met vv'ith in low marshy "groimds. In spring they 
disperse themselves to higher aiid more air^-^ situatioiarj« Snipe- 
shooting affords excellent diversion 5 but those who attempt it 
should be possessed of a strong constitution, and considerable forti- 
tude and energy ; vv^ot and dirt must not be cared for, nor must tiie 
coldness and severity of the "^/eather bo hoededc Snipe are difficult 
to hit when on tho wing, ovv^ing to tho irregular twistings of their 
flight; but this difficuhv is soon surmounted if the birds are allowed 



SHOOTING WILD rOWL. 61 



to reach to a certain distance, when their flight becomes steady and 
easy to traverse with the gun; there is no reason to be apprehensive 
ol their getting out of rafige of the shot, as they will fall to the ground 
if struck but slightly with the smallest grain. Snipe like many 
other birds always lly against the wind; therefore, the sportsman by 
keeping the wind at his back, has this advantage of the bird when 
it rises, that it presents a fairer mark. In severe weather, snipe 
resort in numbers to warm springs, where the rills continue open 
-and run with a gentle stream. These are then the only places 
where they can hunt for food, on account of their long bills. Snipe 
fly better in windy weather than in any other, and as they then usually 
make a momentary halt or hanging on, that is the time to fire. When 
they cross, also, by firing well forward, they seldom escape. Snipe 
are among the most inconstant of birds. A frosty night will send 
away the whole of a flight that had been there the day before; 
and again in two days' time they may return, if open weather and a 
dry wind succeed, A regular snipe locality should be tried not only 
every day, but twice a day, so uncertain are snipe in fixing them- 
selves even for a day, 

I*artridge or Grouse Shooting, 

The best iime lor partridge shooting is in the morning early, or 
late in thq afternoon^ Always endeavor to get cross shots; this may 
usually be effected by walking across or heading your dog when 
pointing. If you go straight from him to the birds, they will gen- 
erally go straight away. Birds whe!i H jing across you, present a far 
easier shot, ancl cr^pose a more vi'^al Dart. 

During the c^Xirc season, the \ ac-t-stubbles are the best spots for 
holding partridgeco In stormc ojQd fo^o partridges lie very close, 
and in line days which follow storms. Heavy 'rains cause them to 
lie extremely close; and therefore, as well ar. for other reasons it 
is not favorable for sport. 

The ruffed-grouse or pheasant, pinnated-grouse, sage-hen, blue- 
grouse and spring-tail grouse, arc only different varieties of the part- 
ridge family, and have to bo hunted in about the same manner. The 
blue-grouse, a native of mountainous regions, is one of the finest 
game birds on the continent. It is roometimes called the fool-hen, a 
designation no doubt given it because of the fact that a hunter may 
stand and shoot fifty of them out of a tree, one after the other, 



62 SHOOTING WILD FOWL. 

without one attempting to fly away, so long as he begins at the bot- 
tom bird and selects them in that order on the way up. If he shoots 
one of the upper birds, however, its fall will be the signal for all the 
rest to fly and away they go. The fool-hen lives in trees in the 
winter, the same as the rutfed-grouse. When startled they stand 
erect on the limb as motionless as a knot. While standing that way 
one may shoot at them as many times as he likes, but the bird will 
never move unless it iri hit. The pir.nated-grouse or prairie-hen 
formerly were alnndnnt in all parts of Ame- ica, congregating prin- 
cipally in dry open districts, where patches oi brushwood and trees 
abound. They are still plentiful on our north- western prairies, in 
season, and are generally hunted for at early sunrise. 

Quail Shooting, 

Of all migrating birds the quail is most hiphly esteemed for the 
table. It is nearly allied to the partridge, Dui having a more slender 
bill, a shorter tail, longer wings, no spur, and no red space above the 
eyOc Quails excel partridges in their power of flight. They never 
]jerch on trees, invariably lighting upon the ground They are of a 
brown color streaked with difl'erent shadc3, and the wings are 
mottled with light-brown, the throat white, with dark-brown bands 
in the male. The bob- white and ruffed-grouse arc often eroneously 
called quail. 

The Loon, 

We will hardly dare say "loon shooting, " for it is very seldom 
that one is shot. He is the hardest of all birds to hit. His 
quickness is amazing. He will dodge a rifle ball by diving after he 
sees the flash, and this at a distance not irrr^-y^p^- than eight rods. A 
friend of the writer once succeeded in hitting one with a bullet at 
long range by creeping through thick clover toward a small and se- 
lect company of these wild birds that were having a little picnic of 
their own in the water at sunrise. Unless they can be so taken 
they must be shot, if at all, by having the gun already aimed at the 
probable spot w^here the loon will rise, and firing at the very in- 
stant the water breaks, even before the bird's head really appears. 

The following is an account of the loon by one of the best observ-r 
ers of birds in America: 




SCENES ON THE ROUTE TO ASHLAND. 



SHOOTING LARGE GAME. 63 



" One of the strong and original strokes of nature was when she 
made the loon. It is always refreshing to contemplate a creature 
so positive and characteristic. He is the great diver and flier un- 
der water. The loon is the genus loci of the wild northern lakes, as 
solitary as they are Some birds represent the majesty of nature, 
like the eagle. otJiers its ferocity, like the hawk; others its cun- 
ning, like the crow ., others its sweetness and melody, like the song 
birds. The loon represents its wildness and solitariness. ' 

Deer Hunting, 

The best method for hunting Deer is by the '< Still Hunt." This 
is done by finding fresh tracks, and then with care and quiet- 
ness following the tiail till the deer is found. If care is exer- 
cised in approaching, a good shot can generally be obtained. The 
following directions are given by a practical hunter: 

" For * Still Hunting, the hunter should provide himself with 
a good rifle and a pair of deer skin moccasins. When finding the 
trail he should walk carefully and keep a good lookout ahead as 
deer are always watching back on their trail. When routed, they 
almost always stop on hills. In order to get within gun shot, it is 
necessary to circle round and come up in front or at the side— al- 
ways circling to the leeward side, as their sense of smell is very 
acute. The deer, when the early snow comes, usually get up and 
feed till about 10 o clock, a. m., when they lie down till about 3 
o'clock, p. M., then they start on a rambling excursion till near the 
next morning, in these excursions they almost always return to 
the place from whence they started, or near to it." 

In Still Hunting, when the buck, doe, and fawns are found 
together, shoot the doe first, the buck will not leave till you get 
another shot 

A fact not generally known is that between the hoof of a deer 
there is a sack with its mouth inclining upwards, and within this 
sack is a musky secretion which escapes during violent exercise, 
leaving a scent upon the ground as the deer passes. In some, especi- 
ally old bucks, the musk is so abundant that the hunter has no 
trouble in following a trail by the scent. 

HUNTING BY TORCH-LIGHT has become one of the favorite 
modes of killing deer, and is said to be extremely fascinating. A 



64 SHOOTING LARGE GAME. 

party of two or three take a boat on a dark night and proceed to 
l^addle cautiously around the lake within a rod or two of the 
shores. The huntsman who occupies the forward seats wears a 
curious-lookiug head-dress upon which is fastened a dark lantern. 
As the boat noiselessly proceeds, the occupants remaining like grim 
statues, the light from the lantern throws a sudden gleam upon the 
edge of the forest jungle. Deer take advantage of the darkness 
to seek the water, and, as the boat comes upon them unawares, 
tbe light suddenly shines in their faces, which they curiously watch 
and wonder at, not being able to see the boat and the enemy. By 
this means the hunters are enabled to get a good view of the deer, 
and when one is seen in this manner he generally falls before the 
unerring aim of the shot-gun, which is the favorite weapon for 
this peculiar sport. 

Another favorite mode, as practiced by city hunters under the 
tutorship of the old hunters and guides, is to shoot from stagings 
erected in trees near deer salt-licks. An old rotten log in the near 
vicinity of a deer trail is chosen for the purpose, and kept well 
salted, and a sort of ladder is made in a convenient tree and at a 
distar^ce of between thirty and forty feet a narrow seat is con- 
structed. About sundown the hunter takes his position in the tree 
and silently awaits the approach of the deer, on their way to the 
lake. They always stop to lick the salt from the log, when the 
hunter, who patiently waits through the long hours of the night, is 
rewarded with a shot, and if he be at all proficient he is almost sure 
of one or more deer. 

Stagings are also erected in trees close to narrow channels joining 
two lakes, through which the deer must pass on their night rounds. 
When two or more parties join for a hunt of this character, both of 
the stagings indicated are manned, and if the night be not too light 
and the hunters remain still as death, plenty of game is sure to be 
encountered. 

Large Game. 

GUNNING FOR LARGE GAME is a sport that will soon only 
be found in the mountains and on the far- western plains. Formerly 
there roamed at will over this once wild region vast herds of buf- 
falo, elk, aMtelope, moose and cariboo. There still may be found 



SHOOTING LARGE GAME. 65 

upon the shores of our northern lakes by the practiced hunter a 
stray specimen of the elk, cariboo, or perhaps the moose, but the 
common deer and black bear are now about the only large game to 
be found in any quantity. 

All animals should be approached from the leeward side, that 
your presence may not be scented. If mounted upon a horse lie 
down close upon his back, a practice that will often deceive the 
game. A horse alone does not disturb a fellow animal. Always 
shoot for the heart. The ball should be aimed just back of the fore 
leg, a fe"w inches above the brisket. 

An Old'Tifne Badger Hunt, 

A favorite mode of taking the badger is by the use of 
hounds. A moonlight night — such as the negroes of Virginia 
and Alabama delight in for a 'possum or 'coon hunt— is selected for 
the f)urpose, and about 11 o'clock all the badger- earths within a 
radius of a dozen miles are stopped, and the master sallies forthwith 
his eager and expectant dogs. 

Upon arriving at the first earth the dogs are laid on, and, al- 
though hours may have elapsed since " the varmint " set forth upon 
his nightly prowl, the scent remains so strong that the hounds have 
rarely any difficulty in picking it up and answering to it. Presently 
a crash of music rings through the dark woods, tipped upon their 
edges with dashes of silver falling from the moonbeams, and the 
meditative badger, engaged, perhaps, two or three miles away in 
digging out a rabbit's nest or climbing a tree in pursuit of honey, 
pricks up his listening ears and recognizes the sounds proclaiming 
that his enemies are abroad. With a shambling run he makes off 
without more ado toward the nearest earth, and finds, to his con- 
sternation, that it is barred against his entrance. A few sharp 
scratches with his powerful claws convince him that the earth is too 
securely stopped for him to be able to force his way into it within 
the time at his disposal, and again he darts off into the forest with 
his senses preternaturally quickened by the rapidly approaching 
notes of his pursuers. Another earth is tried in vain, and the hotly- 
hunted beast now takes in despair to the wood. His stumpy legs 
are j)lied with a will, and, like the wild hog of Central India, he 
shuffles along at a speed with which inexperienced sportsmen would 



66 SHOOTING LARGE GAME. 



little credit him. The scent which he leaves behind him is, how- 
ever, breast high, and before many minutes the foremost dogs over- 
take him. Then may it be seen with what undaunted pluck and 
tenacity the hunted badger fights for his life. He is seized perhaps 
by a fox-hound who has never tackled a badger before, but the cast- 
iron jaws of the quarry imprint a mark which sends the assailant 
hopping away on three legs, and making the night vocal with his 
howls. The rough terriers close in their turn with the enemy, and 
issue shortly from the fray sorely the worse for the encounter. At 
length a couple of old and experienced hounds make a concerted 
attack, and the hotly-beset but indomitable animal yields up the 
ghost, without a single cry of pain or a symptom of cowardice, 
fighting grimly to the end. 

This harmless and roughly-treated animal lives by day at the 
bottom of deep burrows, where he sleeps away his time upon a very 
comfortable bed of hay and grass, until the evening approaches, 
when he arises and goes forth in search of food. He supports him- 
self chiefly on roots, grass, fruit, and slugs, with an occasional 
young rabbit for an appetizing morsel. When undisturbed by his 
mortal enemy, man, he is one of the merriest of animals, seeing that 
he has little to dread from any fellow quadruped or bird of prey. 
His terrific bite, as sharp and tenacious as a steel-trap, secures him 
from molestation, and when, being like all bears fond of honey, he 
plunders a wild bees' nest, the stings of its enraged occupants pro- 
duce no sort of effect upon his shaggy coat and thick skin. Perhaps 
the badger is most in his glory at the mouth of his hole, or under 
the root of a .tree, which protects his flanks and body up to the 
shoulders from attack; for then woe betides the unwary dog which 
attempts to draw him forcibly from his lair. His under teeth are so 
planted, and the leverage of the lower jaw is so powerful, that, 
when the mouth closes, nothing short of a stupendous effort on the 
part of the gripped animal can unfix the grimly vigorous bite. 
Simultaneously the badger's little eyes twinkle with apparent glee, 
and his whole body writhes as it were with fun at the sensation that 
he has got tight hold of his victim. At this critical moment men 
who are aware of the creature's habits often step in to redress the 
balance in favor of their dogs. The nose is the badger's vulnerable 
point, and a smart tap upon it curls him up at once, and leaves him 
at the mercy of his quadrupedal assailants. 



WINTER MAIL ROUTE. 61 



FOXES are seldom hunted in our northern "Sporting Resorts" 
with hounds; a practice most fascinating. Will not our Southern 
and Eastern cousins ''sound the horn" and with the "music of the 
race" awaken " the slumbering echoes" and charm the gods of 
Nature ? 




The Winter Mail Boiife. 

LEAVING THE LA POINTE P. O. , BOUND FOR BAYFIELD, ON THE 
OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE CHANNEL. 

The above was engraved from a photograph and is true to life, 
just such a scene as the writer has often witnessed. These dogs 
appear, and actually are, very intelligent. A team of three 
will haul eight hundred to a thousand pounds. They travel where 
horses can not go, being light of foot a slight crust on the snow 
holds them up. They are largely of the Newfoundland breed, but 
many of them are mixed, dog and wolf. Many wonderful stories 
are told of these almost human animals. They have saved many 
lives, and have often performed feats that required mental calcula- 
tion and judgment, even beyond the capacity of many human 
brains. 




LEGENDS 

OF THE 

Land of Lakes, 

— BY — 
GEO. FRANCIS. 



Paet 1. — Lake Superior and Sur- 
rounding's. 
Part S. — Wisconsin, Interior 
Lakes, etc. 

For Sale by all Booksellers. 



THE 



I \ Complete Sportsman, 



BY 

GEO. FRANCIS. 



A 200 Page Book, Finely 
Illustrated. 



Is now in course of prepara- 
tion for next season. 



SCENE ON LAC FLAMBEAU, NEAR WIS. CENT. R. R. 



SPORTSMEN 
and TOU RISTS 

who desire special or pre- 
cise information relating- 
to any of the numerous 
Summer Resorts and 
Game Haunts of the 
Northwest, can learn all 
they may require by in- 
dulging in an "Annual 
Certificate Card" of the 
"Land Seekers' Bureau of 
Information." 

SEE ADVERTISEMENT ON ANOTHER- 
PAGE. 



TRAPPING. 



Within the borders of the States of Wisconsin, Minnesota and 
Michigan, the following fur-bearing animals are still more or less 
plentiful: Bear, beaver, badger, wild-cat, fisher, fox, lynx, marten, 
mink, otter, raccoon, skunk, wolverine, wolf and musk-rat. The 
halcyon days of the trapper are gone; game is not what it once was, 
but what there is pays well. Good bear, otter and fisher skins 
bring ten to fifteen dollars in St. Paul. Marten or wolverine is 
worth three to five dollars; a wolf is worth from two to four, and a 
red fox about two. A silver-gray fox, when of the best quality, is 
worth fifty dollars, hard cash. Beaver is sold by the pound, and 
brings for prime qualities from three to four dollars. 

The skins of animals trapped are ahvays valued higher than 
those shot, as shot not only make holes, but frequently plow 
along the skin making furrows as well as shaving off the fur. To 
realize the utmost for skins they must be taken care of, and also 
cleaned and prepared properly. 

STEEL TRAPS are the best for all animals. They can be easily 
moved from place to place; can be used equally well on land or 
under water, and they do not injure the fur in the least. There are 
a great variety of makes and sizes, the choice of which must depend 
upon the game sought for, and the ideas of the trapper. The nuisk- 
rat trap will also serve for the capture of tin mink, marten and all 
other small fur-bearing animals. The mink trap proper is one size 
larger than for the musk-rat, and will answer for the fox or fisher. 
The otter trap will hold any medium sized animal as the beaver, 
badger or wild-cat. The beaver trap proper will also do for the 
wolf or lynx. For the bear or panther the largest size trap must be 
used. 

THE DEAD FALL constructed by the trapper himself often does 
most effective w^ork in taking various animals. It consists of 



70 TRAPPING. 



two large poles or logs placed over each other and kept in 
place by four stakes, two on each side. The top pole is raised 
at one end sufficiently high to admit the entrance of the animal, 
and is kept in that position by the contrivance of the stick 
and spindle, or " figure four." A tight pen is made with sticks, 
brush, etc., on one side of the trap, at right angles to it, and the 
spindle projects obliquely into this pen so that the bait attached 
to it is about eight inches beyond the side of the poles. The ani- 
mal, to reach this bait, has to place his body between the poles and 
at right angles to them, and on pulling, the spindle springs the 
" figure four" and the animal is crushed. 

This contrivance forms the basis of a large variety of traps. It is 
made of three sticks — an upright, a diagonal piece, and the trigger 
or horizontal piece. The upright piece should be made about eight 
inches long, the top end being cut to a thick edge — not pointed. The 
horizontal piece or trigger, about fourteen inches long and square— 
has a notch on one side about seven inches from one end. On the 
upper face of the trigger near the blunt end, and about six and a 
half inches from the side notch, is another notch. 

The diagonal piece has both ends bevelled or brought to a wide 
edge, and a notch cut near one end. In setting up the figure, hold 
the perpendicular up, fit the trigger to its side, adjust the notch 
in the diagonal to the perpendicular, and then insert the other 
end of the diagonal in the notch near the end of the trigger. Now 
let the lid of the trap or the fall, rest on the end of the diagonal, 
right over the trap. This makes the figure four stand firmly, yet 
ready to fall at the least pressure on the trigger, to which the bait is 
fastened. The trigger should extend about three inches from the 
perpendicular. 

Setting Traps. 

In trapping there are three points to be constantly borne in mind, 
viz : To set your trap so that the animal will go to it — that it will 
secure it when it comes — and that your captive shall not release 
itself. In using the home-made traps, the precautions will suggest 
themselves; steel traps must always be disguised with some prepar- 
ation rubbed over them. The trap should be well smoked with 
hemlock, cedar, or juniper boughs, or immersed in fresh hog's or 
chicken's blood. Melted fat, or bees wax will also answer the same 



TRAPPING. 7X 



purpose. In setting traps for rabbits, grease of any kind must be 
avoided. Too much preparation must not be made around your 
traps — things must be left as natural as possible. Animals are 
usually very shy and are easily frightened off. In the case of foxes, 
raccoons, etc., it is better to induce them to come for a few nights be- 
fore setting the trap. Scatter around bones, pieces of meat, bread, 
corn, etc., it will teach them to be bold, and success will be mor« 
certain. 

In trapping animals whose skins are valuable, precautions have 
to be taken to prevent them injuring their fur, or being devoured by 
other animals. 

A contrivance called a Spring Pole is used for this purpose, and 
is made as follows: Cut a pole of the required size, drive it firmly 
into the ground, bend it down from the top, and fasten the trap to 
it; fasten the bent pole by a notch or hook on a small tree or a stick 
driven into the ground. If a small tree stands near, you can trim 
and use it as it stands. When the animal is caught, his struggles 
will unhook the pole, which flies back and lifts him up into the air, 
thus securing him from self-violence and from prowlers. 

Animals that live in the water require a different contrivance. 
Cut a pole ten or twelve feet long, leaving enough of the branches 
on the end to prevent the ring of the chain slipping off. Place 
the pole near your trap, in an inclined position, with its small 
end reachiu- into the deepest part of the stream, and its large end 
made fast in the bank by a hook driven into the ground. Slip the 
cliain ring on the pole, and be sure that it is free to traverse the 
whole length. When the animal is caught, it plunges desperately 
into the region towards which the pole leads. The ring slides down 
to the end of the pole at the bottom of the stream, and with a short 
chain prevents the animal from coming to the surface or returning 
to the shore. 

Proper Season for Trapping. 

Newhouse, who is authority on these matters, makes the follow- 
ing remarks: 

"All furs are best in winter; but trapping may be carried on 
to advantage for at least six months in the year, f e., anytime 
between the first of October and the middle of April. There is 
a period in the warm season, say from the first of May to the. 



TRAPPING. 



middle of September, when trapping is out of the question, as furs 
are worthless. The most trapping is done late in the fall and early 
in the spring. The reason why furs become worthless in summer 
is, that all fur-bearing animals shed their coats, or at least lose the 
finest and thickest part of their fur as warm weather approaches, 
and have a new growth of it in the fall to protect them in winter. 
This whole process is indicated in the case of the musk-rat, and 
some other animals, by the color of the inside part of the skin. 
As summer approaches, it becomes brown and dark. That is a sign 
that the best fur is gone. Afterward it grows light-colored, and in 
winter when the fur is in the best condition, it is altogether white. 
When the pelt is white, it is called prime by fur-dealers. The 
fur is then glossy, thick, and of the richest color, and the tails of 
such animals as the mink, marten and fisher, are full and liBavy. 
Beavers and musk-rats are not thoroughly prime till about the 
middle of winter. Other animals are prime about the first of No- 
vember. There is probably some variation with the latitude, of the 
exact period at which furs become prime, the more northern being 
a little in advance. Trappers are liable to begin trapping too early 
in the season, consequently much poor fur is caught, which must 
be sold at low prices, and is unprofitable to the trapper, the fur- 
buyer, and the manufacturer." 

Directions for Trapping and Snaring. 

THE FOX. — There are several methods of catching tliis cau- 
tious animal. The trap should be concealed in a bed of sawdust, 
leaves or chaff, taking care that it is well smeared with blood or 
bees-wax. Fasten the trap to a clog so that the fox when caught 
can move about. To make the allurement doubly sure, obtain from 
the female of the dog, fox or wolf, the matrix, in the season of 
coition, and preserve it in alcohol, tightly corked. Leave a small 
portion of it on something near the trap; also put some on your 
boots when visiting your traps. Make a trail in different directions 
encircling the trap. A piece of raw flesh may also be dragged about. 
Be sure and leave everything around the trap and vicinity as natural 
as possible. Another good plan is to get some earth from a kennel 
where a tame fox is kept, and set the trap in it. 



x% W '-# 




SCENES AT BAYFIELD, 17 MILES FROM ASHLAND. 



TRAPPING. 



THE MINK. — These can bo taken either on land or water; the 
land being generally preferred by trappers. The trap is set near the 
bank of a stream= If one of their holes cannot be found, make 
one. Three sidc3 of the caviuy should be barricaded with stone, 
bark or wood, and the trr.p zst in the entrance. For bait, use a 
fish, bird or miif h-rat, cut in 7'nall piecec and placed in the hole 
beyond the trai) (hat the mink will be obliged to step over the 
trap to get it. Cover the trap with leaves, grass or feathers. In 
the coldest weather, smoke the bait to ^ivo ib a stronger scent 
The fjest scent for attracting miak is made as follow:. ^ Get some 
^3els, trout or minnows, and cut up into small pieces, put them 
into a loosely corked bottle and hrng It in the sun for two or 
three weeks, an oil will then be formed on the top wliich emits 
a very zivong oclor^ Sprinkle a few drops of this oil on the 
bait and around the trap. It \n\ be sure to draw mink from some 
distance. The chain of the trr.p' should be fastened to a spring pcle 
to lift the anirial out of the reach of depredators, or if the trap is 
set near water it should be attached to the bliding p^^e^so as to 
drown the animal at once. 

THE MUSK-RAT.— First find a partially submerged log with 
some recent droppings of the musk-rat on it, cut a notch for the trap 
an inch or two under the water ; t' • i fasten the trap to a spring pole, 
for, if on the land, among weeds and bushes, he will not unf requently 
twist off his leg and escape. The traps are also placed in the runs, 
on bogs and old musk-rat houses, and wherever there are recent 
indications that the musk-rats come to feed. Where the game is 
scarce, the traps are sometimes baited, but otherwise this is not 
necessary. Carrots, parsnips, apil s or potatoes, can be used for 
bait. A stick is stuck in the ground, slanting in ^r^h a manner that 
the end shall be G or 8 inches above the treddle of the trap. The 
bait is stuck on the end of the stick, and in this way^^lf there are 
any rats in the vicinity, you are pretty sure to catch them. Some- 
times the traps are covered with an inch or two of weeds; and 
some trappers put a drcp or two of the oil, found in the glands of 
the musk-rat, on or near i l.e traps. Equal, if not better than a steel 
trap, is an old barrel, sunk to the level of the ground, near the 
bank of a ditch, where there are evidences of the presence of the 
animals. Half Till it with water, and put in a couple of shingles, or 
light strips of board, to float on the surface. Place sweet apples or 



74 TRAPPING. 



carrots cut in small bits in the runs of the musk-rats, to toll them to 
the barrel. Then with bait upon the floats, inside, the rats will 
jump in after the food, and will not be able to get out. Where 
they are plenty, several musk-rats may be taken in a night by this 
simple trap, it costs nothing but labor, can be visited at your con- 
venience, and there is plenty of room in it for a dozen or more at once. 

The musk-rat is a very dainty eater, and one of the swell mem- 
bers of the animal kingdom. He not only washes himself before 
and after he eats, but he washes all his food and observes the rule of 
cleanliness with unvarying regularity. Personally he is a short- 
legged little animal, from twelve to fifteen inches long, with a tail 
two-thirds the length of his body. He sports six rows of side- 
whiskers, and wears a scared, surprised sort of an expression on 
his rather homely face that makes him look as if at some time he 
had been guilty of some great crime. His dress is useful as well as 
ornamental. It is of hair, very soft and warm, dark brown on top, 
and rather lighter below. He is a good feeder, and his bill of fare 
embraces roots, grasses, vegetables, fruits and mussels. He can 
shuck a mussel as easily as a champion shucker can handle an 
oyster. Sometimes he eats fish, but this is rare. He is mainly a 
vegetarian. 

The uses of the musk-rat are twofold, its hide, and for food. 
Formerly, when musk-rat fur was fashionable, the hides easiJy 
brought 25 or 30 cents, but nowadays 10 or 15 cents is all they are 
worth. As food the excellence of the meat depends altogether on 
the skinning and cooking. If the musk-bag is cut and the scent 
is imparted to the meat, it becomes worthless. An Indian 
woman who is somewhat noted for her success in making musk-rat 
palatable, tells how she treats the animal. She said she skinned it 
and washed it carefully in fresh water; soaked it for several 
hours in salt water, and then, if the weather was cold enough, hung 
it in the air so that it would freeze. The longer it is allowed to 
freeze the better it gets. The cold takes away the wild taste. After 
this she either stews it, or, if she wants it fried, parboils it and 
fries it afterward. When served hot after the foregoing treatment it 
it is a dish not to be despised. The meat resembles the guinea hen, 
and tastes something like that of the squirrel. The way the Indians 
used to treat this animal was either to toast it on coals or boil it 
with corn. It is to this day a great favorite with them and is rated 
second only to beaver's tail. 



TRAPPING. 75 



SQ.UIE.RELS.— In trapping squirrels, set a steel trap on the up- 
per rail of a fence near where thoy frequent; set a pole with an ear 
of corn, or some other squirrel food fastened to the end of it, up 
against the side of the fence, leaning in such a position as to 
spring the bait over the trap at a hight of six or nine inches; when 
the i-quirrel reaches to get the bait he will get into the trap. 

SKUNKS. — Take an old barrel and place it on its side on a tri- 
angular stick of wood about 7 inches high, fastening the bait on 
the bottom of the barrel. When the skunk goes for this bait as 
soon as he passes the centre, the barrel turns upright with the skunk 
in it. Then to secure the skunk take it by the tail and — well, 
we would advise you not to. Care must be taken not to place 
the barrel too high, as it might fall over. The more skunks you 
catch in the same barrel, the better the trap. 

Skunks may also be caught with the steel trap and spring pole. 
Set the trap near their hole or path. Strew pieces of meat or dead 
mice before and near the trap. The offensive discharge can be pre- 
vented by a blow over the back. 

THE OTTER.— This animal is a great enemy to fish, and the 
trapper is usually not slow in taking advantage of the fact. First 
proceed along the stream; look for the deepest holes, where the fish 
are sure to fly when pursued. Look about carefully and you will 
see the tracks where the otter comes out of the water, up the bank; 
and often you will find a small tuft of grass greener than the rest; 
open this and you will find the dung of the otter, full of scales and 
bones of fish. Having found out a favorite landing-place of the 
otter, make a run, slanting from the water up the bank, with a 
trapping-paddle; dig out a place exactly the form of the trap; set 
the trap slanting, so that the otter will not tread on the spring ; 
cover it over with fine mould — dry leaves, or rotten wood, level 
with the ground. When done, go back as far as you can, and with 
your hand throw water on the place where the trap is set and all 
around, to take away the scent of your hand and the fresh mould. 

Fasten the trap as follows: Cut a small tree the size of the chain 
ring, and set it upright near enough to the path to help the animal 
into the trap, supporting it in that position and securing the trap 
and game by withing or tying the top to another tree. The ring 
should be slipped on the butt and fastened by a wedge. Before 
leaving, perfume the trap with a few drops of the fish oil as men- 
tioned under the head of Mink. The musk of the otter is also very 



76 TRAPPING. 



good. This is an oil taken from two small glands called oil stones 
situated next the skin on the belly of both sexes. The otter's sense 
of smell is very acute, hence great care must be taken to remove 
any trace of the trapper. While the trap is unsprung, keep as far 
as possible from it. 

The otter resembles the weasel in form and motion, but is very 
different in many other respects. The otter, unlike the weasel, lives 
almost exclusively m the water and never allows its curiosity to 
overcome its discretion. A full grown otter is from three and one 
half to five feet, in length from the end of its nose to the tip of its 
tail, and weighs from twelve to thirty pounds, is of a dark brown 
color about the head and shoulders, and nearly black further back, 
with occasionally an individual that is jet black all over; but a per- 
fectly black otter is very rare. The fur is short, thick and very 
fine, and will wear longer than any other fur. An otter can not run 
very rapidly (it never walks); it jumps like a weasel, except that in 
traveling on the snow, where it is level or a trifle descending, it 
drops its fore feet back by its side, and slides along on its breast, 
propelling itself by its hind feet; and I have seen where it has slid 
ten rods at a time without moving its feet at all, and the track looks 
as if you had drawn along a six inch log. They sometimes travel 
long distances overland, but this is not common; their home is in 
the water. They live exclusively on fish; which they can catch 
with perfect ease, by outswimming them. If an otter takes after a 
fish there is no escape unless it can get into so small a i)lace that 
the otter cannot follow It can outswim even a trout. It does not 
use its fore feet in swimming, but drops them back the same as it 
does when sliding on the snow, and propels itself with its hind feet, 
which are webbed. It is a very strong, sharp bitten animal and will 
whip two ordinary dogs. It is a very hardy, long-lived animal, 
often attaining the age of 20 years. It breeds once a year, dropping 
its young, three or four, about the first of May, and generally se- 
lects some small stream that is very secluded and well stocked with 
trout. Of all wild animals, the otter is the wildest. It is very hard to 
trap, not only on account of its natural shyness, but also from a 
penchant that it has for catching its own food, and consequently 
can not be baited. The otter is sometimes domesticated by the 
trapper, and taught to catch fish for his master. In India and in 
China it has long been customary to so train the otter. 

THE FISHE R.— These are caught with the same methods used 



TRAPPING. 77 



in taking the mink. The trap should always be fastened to the 
spring pole. Unless the animal is lifted from, the ground, he is 
nearly sure to gnaw off his leg or the pole. An old hunter gives 
the following instructions: "For capturing the fisher, we always 
draw a trail composed of oil of anise, assafoetida, and the musk 
of the musk-rat, mixed with fish oil, and placed in a deer-skin 
bag, about the sizo of a mitten, pierced full of holes with a small 
awl. If drawn along the line of traps, the scent is sure to attract 
the fisher's riceiition, and when an animal once finds it, he will fol- 
low the trriJ. till he comes to the trap. Mink are sometimes 
caught along trails of thia kind, and it is a good plan to set a trap 
for wolves on the line, as they are likely to be attracted and to 
follow it. In setting the trap, we either place it in a hollow log, 
or build a strong house and place the trap at the entrance. In the 
latter case the bait should be placed about two feet back from the 
door. The trap should be covered with finely powdered rotten 
wood. A spring pole should be used, as all animals of the canine 
family will follow the trail and rob the traps. Deer meat, musk-rat 
meat, or fish, make good bait for the fisher, marten, mink or wolf. 

THE BEAVER. — These animals are now becoming very scarce. 
The clearing up and cultivation of the soil has driven nearly all 
of them from the country When a beaver pond has been found, 
the principal object is to take each beaver in it alone and drown it 
as soon as possible. If the remaining beavers get a knowledge of 
the capture of one of their family, they will all remove away. The 
trap should be set near the shore, about three inches under wa- 
ter. Carefully hide it by a covering of some soft substance that 
will not interfere with its springing. Use for bait a small portion 
of beaver castor, a milky secretion found in glands near the test- 
icles of the male beaver, leave it on the bank near the trap and 
carefully remove all trace of foot-prints by drenching the tracks 
with water. 

RABBITS.— The steel trap is simply buried in the run, and 
leaves, grass, or earth strewed over its surface so as not to give an 
appearance of an unusual character. Bait with a piece of apple. 
Precaution should, however, be taken to tie the trap to a bough or 
peg in the ground, by a piece of strong string, otherwise the rab- 
bit will carry away the trap. "Wire snares are also very effective 
traps. They are made of fine copper wire, and being inexpen- 
sive, a number of them may be set where rabbits abound. The 



78 TRAPPING. 



wires are made to form a running loop, just such as we form with 
string; only the wires are so arranged that they all unite to form 
the one loop. No ingenious person could fail to form the loop, 
after a few minutes' handling of the wire. It is so simple that 
it will suggest itself. The loop thus made, is set across a run, so 
that the top of the loop stands say about six inches from the 
ground; and in order to keep it in its proper position, a peg of 
wood is driven in the ground a little way from the run, and in 
the top of the peg there is a slit which serves to catch the ends 
of the wires and holds them in position. The wires must be tied 
firmly at the end to a string, which may lie on the ground; the 
end of the string should then be tied to a bough sufficiently high from 
the ground to yield a little when it is pulled. This yielding of the 
bough prevents the rabbit from snapping the string, which it would 
otherwise do in its endeavors to escape. 

There is an ingenious mode of taking rabbits by single wires and 
what is called a springle, the same in principle as the spring pole. 
A strong and springy stick is stuck deep into the ground in an up- 
right direction; its smaller end is then bent over, and also buried 
sufficiently in the ground to keep it down. To this end a wire is 
tied by a short string, and when the rabbit is caught, his first jump 
pulls the end of the springle out of the soil, and it then lifts the 
rabbit completely from the ground, thereby depriving him of all 
power of escape. 



Jl<- 



A.-4. 




THE ART OF CURING SKINS, 



The market value of skins is greatly affected by the care used in 
skinning and curing. We take the following from Newhouse's Trap- 
pers Guide, an authority on such matters. 

1. Be careful to visit your traps often enough, so that the skins 
will not have time to get tainted. 

2. As soon as possible after an animal is dead and dry, attend to 
the skinning and curing. 

3. Scrape off all superfluous flesh and fat, and be careful not to 
go so deep as to cut the fiber of the skin. 

4. Never dry a skin by the fire or in the sun, but in a cool, 
shady place, sheltered from the rain. If you use a barn door for a 
stretcher (as boys sometimes do), nail the skin on the inside of the 
door. 

5. Never use ''preparations" of any kind in curing skins, nor 
even wash them in water, but simply stretch and dry them as they 
are taken from the animal. 

In drying skins it is important that they should be stretched tight 
like a strained drum-head. This can be done after a fashion by sim- 
ply nailing them flat on a wide board. But this method, besides 
being impracticable in the woods (where most skins have to be 
cured) is objectionable, because it exposes only one side of the pelt 
to the air. The stretchers that are generally used by trappers, are 
of three kinds, adapted to the skins of different classes of animals. 
They are the hoard-stretcher, the hoio-str etcher, and the hoop- 
stretcher. 

THE BOARD STRETCHER.— This contrivance is made in the 
following manner: Prepare a board of bass-wood or other lignt 
material, two feet three inches long, three inches and a half wide at 
one end, and two inches and an eighth at the other, and three 
eighths of an inch thick. Chamfer it from the centre to the sides 
almost to an edge. Round and chamfer the small end about an 



ART OF CURING SKINS. 



inch up on the sides. Split this board through the centre with a 
knife or saw. Finally, prepare a wedge of the same length and 
thickness, one inch wide at the large end, and tapering to three 
eighths of an inch at the small end, to be driven between the halves 
of the board. This is a stretcher suitable for a mink or a marten. 
A larger size, suitable for the full grown otter or wolf, should be 
five feet and a half long, seven inches wude at the large end when 
fully spread by the wedge, and six inches at the small end. An 
intermediate size is required for the fisher, raccoon, fox, and some 
other animals, the proportions of which can be easily figured out. 

These stretchers require that the skin of the animal shall not be 
ripped through the belly, but must be stripped off whole. This is 
done in the following manner: Commence with the knife at the 
hind feet, and slit down to the vent. Cut around the vent, and strip 
the skin from the bone of the tail with the help of the thumb nail or 
a split stick. Make no other slits in the skin, except in the case of 
the otter, whose tail requires to be split, spread, and tacked on to 
the board. Peel the skin from the body by drawing it over itself, 
leaving the fur inward. 

In this condition the skin should be drawn on to the split board, 
(with the back on one side and the belly on the other) to its utmost 
length, and fastened with tacks or by notches cut in tlie edge of the 
board, and then the wedge should be driven between the two halves. 
Finally, make all fast by a tack at the root of the tail, and another 
on the opposite side. The skin is then stretched to its utmost 
capacity, as a boot-leg is stretched by the shoemaker's "tree" and it 
may be hung away in the proper place, by a hole in one end of the 
stretcher, and left to dry. 

A modification of this kind of stretcher, often used in curing the 
skins of the musk-rat and other small animals, is a simple board 
without split or wedge, three sixteenth of an inch thick, twenty 
inches long, six inches wide at the large end, and tapering to five 
and a half inches at the small end, chamfered and rounded as in 
the other cases. The animal should be skinned as before directed, 
and the skin drawn tightly on to the board and fastened with about 
four tacks. 

THE HOOP STRETCHER.— The skins of large animals, such 
as the beaver and the bear, are best dried by spreading them, at full 
size in a hoop. For this purpose, a stick of hickory or other flexible 
wood should be cut, long enough to entirely surround the skin when 



ART OF CURING SKINS, 83 



bent. (If a single stick long enough is not at hand, two smaller 
ones can be spliced together.) The ends should be brought around, 
lapped, and tied with a string or a withe of bark. The skin should 
be taken from the animal by ripping from the lower front teeth to 
the vent, and peeling around the lips, eyes and ears, but without 
ripping up the legs. It should then be placed inside the hoop and 
fastened at opposite sides, with twine or bark, till all loose parts 
are taken up, and the whole stretched so that it is nearly round and 
as tight as a drum-head. When it is dry it may be taken from the 
hoop, and is ready for transportation. 

This is the proper method of treating the skin of the deer. 
Some prefer it for the wolf and raccoon. In many cases the trap- 
per may take his choice between the hoop and the board method. 
One or the other of these methods will be found satisfactory for 
curing all kinds of skins. 

If it is simply desired to preserve skins until they are sold, it 
is only necessary to dry them thoroughly. If the weather should 
be damp and warm, salt the flesh side slightly with fine salt. 

A dried skin oiled so as to become smooth and pliable will re- 
tain the hair or fur considerable time. For ordinary purposes, 
rabbit, squirrel, and other small skins can be efficiently preserved 
with the hair by the application of powdered alum and fine salt,, 
put on them when fresh, or if not fresh by first dampening them. 




SYNOPSIS OF 

FISH AND GAME LAWS, 



Wis CO nsin* 

"WILD GAME may be killed in the State of Wisconsin only dur- 
ing the seasons stated below: 

WOOD-COCK, from July 10th to Jan. 1st. 

aUAIL, PARTRIDGE, PHEASANT, PRAIRIE-HEN or 
GROUSE of any variety, from Aug. 15th to Jan. 1st. 

DUCKS AND GEESE, from Aug. 15th to Jan. 1st. 

OTTER, MINK, MARTEN, FISHER, MUSK-RAT, from 
Nov. 1st to May 1st. 

DEER, from Nov. 1st to Dec. 15th. 

It is unlawful to hunt or kill deer after nightfall by the aid of 
torchlight or any other artificial light; or to hunt chase or kill deer 
with dogs; at any time to catch or kill any game birds in any man- 
ner other than by means of a gun discharged from the shoulder, or 
raised and held by the hand; for any person or corporation to carry 
out of the State, or have in their possession for that purpose, any 
game bird or animal mentioned above. Wild pigeons, and beaver, 
mink, musk-rat and other fur-bearing animals are excepted from 
the foregoing law. 

The game laws also prohibit the use of net, snare, trap gun or 
spring, pivot or swivel gun, in killing game birds, and the use of 
any flat boat, sail, or steamboat, or floating box, or similar device, 
or from any fixed or artificial blind or ambush located in open 
water, outside or beyond the natural cover of reeds, canes, flag or 
wild rice. Also the disturbing of any game birds in their nesting 
or breeding place; or the wounding or destroying of wild pigeons 
within three miles of their nesting place. 

FISH may be caught in Wisconsin waters only during the seasons 
stated below: 



86 FISH AND GAME LAWS. 



BLACK BASS and WALL-EYED PIKE, from Maj 1st to 
Feb. 1st. 

BROOK TROUT, from April 15th to Aug. 15th. 

It is unlawful to take or catch Brook Trout by any means or 
device other than hook and line. 

Under special enactment, in Ashland, Bayfield and Douglass 
counties, the open season is from April 1st to Sept. 15th. In Monroe 
county, fish must not be taken by any device except spear, hook 
and line or angling. In Devil's Lake, Sauk county, it is unlaw-ful to 
place set or float lines, and to cast a fly for taking fish in April, May 
and June. 

State laws relating to fish and game do not apply to such places 
within the State as have in force penal laws of a local character, 
conflicting therewith and applicable to same subject. 

MUSKALONGE may be caught at any time. 



Minnesota* 

WILD GAME may be killed in the State of Minnesota only 
during the seasons stated below: 

WOOD-COCK, from July 3d to Nov. 1st. 

aUAIL, PHEASANT or RUFFED-GROUSE, and PART- 
RIDGE, from Oct. 1st to Jan. 1st. 

PRAIRIE-CHICKEN and SHARP-TAILED GROUSE, from 
Aug. 15th, to Oct. 1st. 

DUCKS and GEESE, from Sept. 1st to May 15th. 

DEER and ELK, from Dec. 1st to 15th. 

The game laws prohibit breaking up or destroying the nests 
or eggs of game birds and all harmless birds, except wild i^igeons 
and blackbirds; also the taking of game birds, the killing or trap 
ping of any kind, in any manner, except shooting with a gun. 

If game is found in possession of individuals or transportation 
companies out of season, it is considered sufficient evidence for con- 
viction of violation of the game laws. Exportation from the State 
of all game birds is prohibited. 

Hunters are forbidden to enter fields containing growing crops, 
not their own, with hunting imiDlements or dogs, without permis- 
sion of the owner of the premises, under penalty of punishment 
for trespass. 



FISH AND GAME LAWS. 87 



FISH, may be caught in the State of Minnesota only during the 
seasons stated below: 

BB.OOK TROUT, from April 1st to Oct. 1st. 

The taking of brook trout in any of the waters of the State by any 
other means than with hook and line is prohibited; nor can any 
other variety of fish be taken, except by angling or the use of gun 
and spear. The waters of Lake Superior, the Mississippi, Minnesota 
and St. Croix rivers are, however, excepted from the operation of 
this latter clause of the law. Again, no fish must be taken within 
four hundred feet of any fish way. 

Spearing of fish in the lakes of Hennepin and Ramsey counties is 
prohibited, as well as the catching of pickerel and bass, between 
March 15th and May 15th, in lakes of said counties, also Washing- 
ton county. 

The above provisions of the game and fish laws shall not apply to 
any places within the State where other laws of a local character, 
conflicting therewith and applying to the same subject, are in force. 

Michigan, 

WILD GAME may be killed in the State of Michigan only during 
the seasons stated below: 

DEER, (Lower Peninsula) from Oct 1st to Dec. 1st. 

DEER, (Upper Peninsula) from Aug, 15th to Nov. 15th. 

Fawns when in spotted coat and deer when in red coat must not 
be killed at any time. 

Deer must not be killed at any time while in the waters of any 
stream, or lake. 

WOOD-COCK, from Aug. 1st to Jan. 1st. 

SNIPE, from Sept. 1st to May 1st. 

aUAIL, from Nov. 1st to Jan. 1st. 

WILD TURKEY, from Oct. 1st to Jan. 1st. 

PARTRIDGE, and RUPPED-GROUSE, WOOD, TEAL, MAL- 
LARD or GRAY DUCK, from Sept. 1st to Jan. 1st. 

PINNATED-GROUSE or PRAIRIE-CHICKEN, from Sept. 
1st to Nov. 1st. 

WILD PIGEONS — No fire-arms can be used against wild 
pigeons within five miles, and no trap, snare, net or other means 
w-ithin two miles of their nesting places, at any time from the be- 
ginning until the last hatching of such nesting. 



88 FISH AND GAME LAWS. 



INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS must not be killed or taken, nor 
nests molested at any time. 

No trap, snare, or net, nor punt or swivel gun, can be used to take 
any of the birds named, nor must they be molested while on their 
nestings. 

FISH may be caught in the State of Michigan only during the 
seasons stated below : 

BROOK TROUT, from May 1st to Sept. 1st. 

GRAYLING, from June 1st to Nov. 1st. 

BASS, PERCH and other varieties may be taken at any time. 

Iowa» 

WILD GAME may be killed in the State of Iowa only during 
the seasons stated below: 

PRAIRIE CHICKEN or PINNATED-GROUSE, from Aug. 
15th to Dec. 1st. 

WOOD-COCK, from July 10th to Jan. 1st. 

RUFFED-GROUSE or PHEASANT, WILD TURKEY, and 
Q,UAIL, from Oct. 1st to Jan. 1st. 

DUCKS and GEESE, or BRANT, from Aug. 15th to May 1st. 

DEER and ELK, from Sept. 1st to Jan. 1st. 

It is unlawful to kill game in any manner other than by means of 
a gun commonly shot from the shoulder. 

BEAVER, MINK, OTTER and MUSK-RAT may be killed, 
trapped or ensnared between Nov. 1st and April |lst ; they may, 
however, be killed at any time when necessary for the protection of 
private property. 

The game laws prohibit killing for traffic, any pinnated-grouse, 
wood-cock, quail, ruffed grouse or pheasant, or any one person shoot- 
ing or killing, during one day, or having in his possession at one 
time more than twenty-five of the foregoing named birds, unless 
lawfully received for transportation. 

Snaring, netting, or trapping any birds, or destroying eggs or 
nests of birds are unlawful. The exportation of game birds is pro- 
hibited. It is lawful for any person to ship to any other person, 
within the State, game birds, not exceeding one dozen in number, 
in one day, during the period -when the killing of such birds is not 
prohibited. 

FISH may be caught in Iowa during the seasons stated below: 



FISH AND GAME LAWS. 



SALMON and TROUT, from Feb. 1st to Nov. 1st. 
BASS and WALL-EYED PIKE, from June 1st to April 1st. 
It is unlawful to catch fish by means of a net or seine. 
There is no restriction upon the manner of taking fish in the 
Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. 

Dakota^ 

WILD GAME may be killed in Dakota only during the seasons 
stated below. 

BUFFALO, ELK, DEER, ANTELOPE and MOUNTAIN 
SHEEP, from Sept. 1st to Jan. 1st. 

PRAIRIE-CHICKENS and all other GROUSE from Aug. loth 
to Jan. 1st. 

It is unlawful to kill, trap or destroy quail in Dakota for five years 
from and after Feb. 5, 1883. Union, Clay and Yankton counties are 
exempted from the provisions and effects of this law. 

The game laws prohibit any person from killing, ensnaring or 
trapping, in any form or manner, any Quail, Prairie-Chicken, 
Grouse, Snipe, Plover or Curlew on any premises owned or occupied 
by any other person, without the consent of such person; also pro- 
hibit any person from killing, or ensnaring, or trapping, in any 
form or manner, any of the above named birds, for sale, trade or 
traffic, at any time. Except that any of the above named birds may 
be sold to any person for his own use, to be consumed within the 
territory between Aug. 15 and Dec. 31, in each year. 

FISH. — It is unlawful for any person to take, catch, kill or destroy 
any fish whatsoever, except by angling with hook and line, in any 
of the lakes or streams, or inlets or outlets of said streams, or any 
waters of the Territory of Dakota, except the Missouri and Red 
Rivers. 

It is unlawful for any person to take, catch, kill or destroy by any 
device whatsoever, any Pike, Pickerel, Perch, Bass or Muskalonge, 
except for the purposes of propagating ot breeding, in any of the 
waters of the Territory of Dakota, except the Missouri and Red 
Rivers, between the first day of February and the first day of May 
in any year, or expose the same for sale during this period. 



INDEX 

— TO — 

Northern Sporting and Pleasure Resorts. 



All distances given are from Chicago. The initials of railways have the 
following- significance : C. & N. W. is for the Chicago and Northwestern Ry. ; 
C. St. P. M. & O is for the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Ry.; C. 
M. & St. P. is for the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Ry.; G. R. & I. is for the 
Grand Rapids and Indiana R. R.; M. & N, is for the Milwaukee and Northern 
R. R.; M. L. S. & W. for the Milwaukee, Lake Shore and Western Ry.; M. & St. 
L, is for the Minneapolis and St. Louis Ry.; Mich. Cent, is for the Michigan 
Central R. R.; N. P. is for the Northern Pacific R. R.; St. P. M. & M. is for the 
St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Ry. : Wis. Cent, is for the Wisconsin Cen- 
tral R.R.: LR. is for the Tron Range R. R.; M. H. & O. is for Marquette, 
Houghton and Ontonagon R. R; St. P. & D. is for the St. Paul and Duluth R. R. 

Where no Railway is specified the place is either a lake port or an inland 
point. 

The GOODRICH LINE of Steamers touch at most of the Lake Michi- 
gan and Green Bay ports. 

The NORTHERN MICHIGAN LINE also touches Lake Michigan 
ports, and in addition Mackinac, Cheboygan, etc. HANNAHj liAlT & 
CO. lilNE runs to Traverse City, etc. 

The Lake Superior ports are reached by the LAKE MICHIGAN 
AND LAKE SUPERIOR TRANSPORTATION CO., and from the 
Lower Lakes, and the east by the LAKE SUPERIOR TRANSIT CO. 

RAILWAY. MILES. 

Apostle Islands-Lake Superior .. . 450 

Agate Bay (Two Harbors)— Lake Superior 500 

Albert Lea, Minn.— Inland Lakes . C. M. & St. P 410 

Alexandria. Minn. " " St. P. M. & M 553 

Alpena, Mich.— Lake Huron 

Wis.-Strearas C, St. P. M. & O.... 409 



Antigo. Wis.-Inland Lakes M. L..&W.., 293 

Appleton,Wis.-Fox River "j M. L.^*. &W. i r.::: ^^^ 

Ashby, Minn.-Inland Lakes St. P. M. & M 578 

Ashland. Wis.-Lake Superior \ wis^^cSit^.^. .*. ^i .' } ^^^ 



INDEX TO NORTHERN SPORTING AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 01 



RAILWAY. MILES 

Barnesville. Minn St. P. M. & M 628 

Bayfield. Wis.— Lake Superior C, St. P. M. & O.. .. Ui 

Bay City, Mich.— Saginaw Bay Micli. Cent 324 

Bear Lake, Mich.— Lake Michigan 

Beaver Dam, Wis.— Lake C, M. & St. P 15ft 

Beaver Bay, Minn.— North Shore. Lake Superior 

Berlin, Wis.— Fox River C, M. & St. P 181 

Big Stone City, Dak.— Lake C, M. & St. P 601 

Black River Falls, Wis. -River C, St. P., M. &0... 264 

Bois Blanclsland-Near Mackinac 

Boyne Falls, Mich.-River G. R. & 1 392 

Brainard , Minn.— Lakes N. P 546 

Briggsville, Wis.— Lake Mason. Marquette Co 

Brown's Valley. Minn.— Big Stone Lake St. P., M. & M 616 

Brule, Wis.— Bois Brule River C. & N. W 353 

Butternut, Wis.— Lake Wis. Cent 376 

Cadillac. Mich.— Lake , G. R. & 1 315 

Calumet, Mich.— Near Lake Lynden M., H. & O 485 

Cameron, Wis.- Lakes near C, St. P., M. &0... 368 

Ckaneaux Islands, Mich.— Near Mackinac 

Charlevoix, Mich.— Lake Michigan Mich. Cent 390 

Cheboygan, Mich.— Lake Huron 

Chelsea. Wis,— Lakes Wis. Cent 323 

Chetek, Wis.— Lake C, St. P., M. & 0. . . . 360 

Chisago Lakes, Minn.— Near Taylor's Falls St. P. & D 

Clear Lake. Iowa.— Lake C, M. & St. P. 365 

Copper Harbor, Mich.— Lake Superior. Keewenaw Peninsula 

Crookston. Minn.— Red River St. P., M. & M 709 

Cross Village, Mich,— Lake Michigan 

Dale, Wis.— Wolf River Wis. Cent 193 

Dartford, Wis.— Green Lake C. & N. W 174 

Delton. Wis.— Mirror Lake, near Kllbourn C. M. & St. P 

Detroit. Minn.— Lake N. P 639 

Devil's Lake. Wis.— Lake. . , C. &N.W 173 

Devil's Lake. Dak.— Lake St. P., M. & M 819 

Duluth, Minn.-Lake Superior I C.', StV pf," M." & o'.'. \ ^'^ 

Eagle River, Wis.-Lakes M., L. S. & W 3.51 

Eagle River. Mich.— Lake Superior. Keewenaw Peninsula 

Egg Harbor, Wis.— Green Bay. Door Co. Peninsula 

Elkhart Lake* Wis M. &N 147 

Elk Rapids. Mich.— Near Traverse City 

Ellison's Bay, Wis.— Green Bay. Door Co. Peninsula 

Escanaba, Mich.— Green Bay C. & N. W 328 

Excelsior. Minn.— Lake Minnetonka 



INDEX TO NORTHERN SPORTING AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 



RAILWAY. MILES. 

Fairmont, Minn.— Lake C, M. & St. P 409 

Fayette, Mich.— Big Ba de Noquette, near Eseanaba 

Fe.gus Falls. Minn.-Red River St. P., M. & M 596 

Fife Lake, Mich.— Lake G. R. & 1 430 

Fifield* Wis.— Near Flambeau River Wis. Cent 363 

Fish Creek) Wis.— Green Bay. Door Co. Peninsula 

( Wis. Cent ) 

Fond du Lac, Wis.— Lake Winnebago ^ C & N. W y 151 

(C. M. & St. P ) 

Fond dn Lac* Minn.— St. Louis River St. P. & D 565 

Forest Lake^ Minn.— Lake St. P. & D 434 

Fort Francis^ Manitoba.— Rainy Lake. Boundary Line 

Foi t 'William^ Canada.— Thunder Bay. Lake Superior 

Fox Lake, Wis.— Lake C. M. & St. P 157 

Frankfort. Mich.— Lake Michigan 

Frontenac, Minn.— Lake Pepin C., M. & St. P 359 

Gill's Landing, Wis.— Wolf River Wis. Cent 204 

Glen\irood Minn.— Lake Whipple, near Alexandria 

Glen Arbor, Mich.— Lake Michigan 

Gogebic, Mich.— Lake M., L S. «fe W 400 

Gox'don, Wis.— Brule River C., St.P.M. &0... 433 

Granite Falls, Minn.— River C, M. & St. P 541 

Grand Haven, Mich.— Lake Michigan . 

Grand Morais, Minn.— North Shore Lake Superior ,. 

Grand Portage, Minn.— North Shore Lake Superior 

Grand Rapids, Mich.— Grand River G. R.&I 217 

Grand Rapids, Wis.— Black River C, M. & St. P 295 

Grayling, Mich.— Rivers Mich. Cent 416 

Green Bay, Wis.-Bay "I C.'&'n.W. :::.;;: [ ^^^ 

Green Lake, Wis.— Lake. Dartf ord Post-office ....... C. & N . W 174 

Hancock Mich.— Portage Lake M., H. & O 473 

Harbor Springs, Mich.— Traverse Bay G., R. & 1 416 

Hartland, Wis.— Lakes C, M. & St. P 109 

Hayward. Wis.— Lakes, etc C.,St. P., M. &0.. . 425 

Hinckley, Minn.— Streams ] It I\,* M.^& M. " ' ' ' [ ^^^ 

Horicon, Wis.— Lake C, M. & St. P 139 

Houghton, Mich.— Portage Lake M., H. & 471 

Interlaken, Minn.— Lakes St. P., M. &M 566 

Ishpeming, Mich.— Near Lake Superior j Jj ^jj^'^q \ 393 

Kalkaska, Mich.— Trout Streams G. R. & 1 354 

Kilbourn> Wis.— Wisconsin River C, M. & St. P 194 

Koshkonong. Wis.— Lake C. &N. W ]04 



INDEX TO NORTHERN SPORTING AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 



RAILWAY. MILES. 

Lac Vieux Deserti Wis M., L. S. & W 375 

Lake City Minn.— Lake Pepin C., M.&St. P 353 

Lake Crystal, Minn.-Lakes C, St. P.,M. &0.... 521 

Lake Geneva Wis.— Lake C, & N. W 70 

Lake of the Woods— 680 miles via Lake Superior route 

Lake Madison. Minn.— 10 miles from Mankato 425 

Lake Benton, Minn.— Lake C. & N. W 560 

Lake Mills, Wis.— Lake C. & N. W 126 

440 
333 

487 
516 
453 



L'Anse Mich.— Lake Superior M.,H. & O 

Lanesboro, Minn.— Lake C, M A- St. P 

Litchfield Minn.-Lakes St. P., M. & M 

Little Falls, Minn.— River N. P 

Long Lake ^No. 1), Wis C., St. P., M, &0.. 

Ludington, Mich.— Lake Michig-an 



Madison. Wis.-Lakes \%c\'nV.:::::\ 139 

Mackinac Island, Mich.— Straits of Mackinac 

Mackinaw City. Mich j G.. R. & 1 1 

•^ (Mich. Cent f ^^"^ 

Mankato, Minn.- River and Lake C., St. P. M. & O 

Manitoulin Islands- In Georgian Bay, near Mackinac 

Manistee- Mich.— Lake Michigan 

ManitowoC' Wis.— Lake Michigan M., L. S. & W 

Marinette, Wis.— Green Bay C. & N. W 262 

Marquette, Mich.— Lake Superior M., H. & O 401 

Marquette, Wis.— Lake Puckaway. See Green Lake " . . 

Mazo Manie Wisconsin River C, M. & St. P 204 



508 



163 



Medford. Wis.— Near Lake Wis. Cent 

C. & N. W 



317 



Menasha^ Wis.— Lake Winnebago \ Wis Cent t 178 

(m.&n. ...".'.■.■.:;.■ f 

Menominee' Mich.— Green Bay J C. & N. W } 

|M,L. S.&W f '^^ 

Menominee, Wis.-River | C., St. P., M. & O. / o^r 

( C, M. &St. P. i' ^*^ 

Minneopa Falls, Minn C., St. P. M. &0. .. 514 

Minneapolis, Minn.— All North-western Railways 420 

Montello< Wis.-Lakes ^ig ^ent 197 

Munisingi Mich.— Lake Superior, near Pictured Rocks ..[... 

Nashotah. Wis.-Lakes C, M. & S. P 112 

Necedah, Wis.-River , C, M. & St. P 232 

Neenah, Wis.— Lake Winnebago j C. & N. W j 

( Wis. Cent f ^^-^ 

Negaunee, Mich.— Near Lake Superior J C. & N. W * 

|M., H. &0 |- ijoy 

New London, Wis.— Wolf River M., L. S. & W. 2"'^ 

Nokwebay, Wis.— Lake M.'&N.R.... '' - 



94 INDEX TO NORTHERN SPORTING AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 



RAILWAY. MTLES. 

Oconomo-woci Wis.— Lakes ... C, M. & St. P 116 

Oconto, Wis.-Green Bay 1 M.,'l\ & w::.:: \ "*- 

Oconto Falls, Wis.— River M., L. S. & W 255 

Okoboji. Iowa. -Lakes C.,M.&St.P 473 

Ontario. Wis — Kickapoo River 243 

Ontonagon* Mich.— Lake Superior 

(C. &N. W ) 

Oslikosli, Wis.— Lake Winnebago -; Wis. Cent V 157 

IC, M. &St. P \ 

Osakis, Minn.— Lake St. P., M. & M 540 

Otsego Lake, Mich.— Lake Mich. Cent 433 

Packwaukee. Wis.— Buffalo Lake Wis. Cent 189 

Palmyra, Wis.— Lake C, M. & St. P 127 

Pelican, Wis.— Lake M. L. S. &W 320 

Pelican Rapids, Minn.- Lake St. P., M. fe M 620 

Pensaukee, Wis.— Green Bay C. & N. W 237 

Pesktigo. Wis.-Green Bay ...C. & N. W 255 

Petoskey, Mich.— Bay G., R. & 1 408 

Pewaukee, Wis —Lake C, M. & St. P 104 

Pigeon River, Minn.— Lake Superior. Boundary Line 

Pipestone City, Minn < c!,' St'. P.fM.^& O.' [ ^"^ 

Pipestone Mountaini Wis.— Near Rice Lake 

Plover. Wis.— Lakes, near G. B. »& M 279 

Pokegama, Minn.— Lake St. P., M. & M 545 

Portage , Wis.— Fox and Wisconsin Rivers C , M . & St. P 177 

Quinnesec Falls, Mich.— Menominee River . . C. & N. W 330 

Rat Portage, Manitoba.— Lake of the Woods 1001 

Redwood Falls Minn.— River C. & N. W 5'^5 

Rhinelander. Wis.— River M., L. S. & W 340 

Rice Lake, Wis.— Lake C., St. P., M. &0... 375 

Ripon, Wis.-Streams, etc { c:,MVstV P ■::.■■.[ 168 

River Falls, Wis.-Streams C, St. P., M. & O . . 401 

Roscommon, Mich.— Streams Mich. Cent 401 

St. Cloud, Minn.— Lakes St. P., M. & M 485 

St. Croix Falls, Wis.— River, opposite Taylor's Falls 

St. Helen's Station, Mich.— River Mich. Cent 389 

St. Ignace, Mich.— Opposite Mackinaw City 

St. Paul. Minn.— All North- Western Railways.. '.. 410 

St. Peter, Minn.— Lake and River C, St P , M. & O . . . 496 

ft. Vincent. Minn.— Red River St. P . , M & M 800 

Sauk Center, Minn.— Lakes St. P., M. & M 527 



INDEX TO NORTHERN SPORTING AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 95 



RAILWAYS MILE&. 

Sault Ste- Marioi Mich.— At outlet of Lake Superior 

Schlesengerville, Wis.-Near Cedar Lake \ wi^" (tent*. ^.'.'.'.'.'.'. \ ^^'^ 

Shawano, Wis.— Lake M., L. S. «& W 256 

Sheboygan, Wis.— Lake Michigan -j m.^L^S.^ w! '. ','.'. \ ^^'^ 

Siskowit Bay.— Isle Royale. Lake Superior 

Sister Bay< Wis.— Green Bay. Door Co. Peninsula 

Spring Lake* Mich.— Near Grand Haven 

Sparta, Wis.-La Crosse River ) c!' &^N^W^.'. ^.V.'.'.'.\ ^^^ 

Spirit Lake, lowa.-Lake ) g-; & c^r^*\^; '•■•\ 477 

State Line, Wis.— Lakes, near M., L. S. & W. . . . 370 

Stevens Point, Wis.— River Wis. Cent 245 

Sturgeon Bay, Wis.— Green Bay. Door Co. Peninsula 

Sturgeon Falls, Mich.— Menominee River C. .& N. W 319 

Superior. Wis.-Lake Superior ] N.' p!'. ^7^.'.^ ^.'.' \ ^^ 



Tahquamenon, Mich.— River and Falls, near Sault Ste. Marie 

Taylor's Falls. Minn.— St. Croix River St. P. & D 436 

Tomah. Wis.-Near Stream C, M. & St. P 239 

Torch Lake' Mich.— Near Grand Traverse Bay 

To-wrer City, Minn.— Vermilion Lake Iron Range 560 

Traverse City, Mich.— Bay G. R. & 1 363 

Tustin. Mich.— Lake G. R. & 1 303 

AVadena, Minn.— Lakes N. P 592 

Waseca. Minn — Lakes C. & N. W 402 

Washington Harbor.— Washington Island. G reen Bay 

Waters-meet' Mich.— Streams M., L. S. & W 378 

Watterville. Minn.— Lakes M. & St. L 413 

Waverly^ Minn.— Lake St. P.,M. &M 459 

Waukesha, Wis.-Fox River ] C.', M^^&Sti P. V.'.'.\ ^^^ 

Waupaca. Wis.— Chain of Lakes Wis Cent 215 

Wausau, Wis.— Wisconsin River ] m' ■!, t & W \ ^^^ 

Weyau-wega, Wis.— Waupaca River Wis Cent 203 

White Bear Lake Minn.— Near St. Paul : St. P. & D 428 

White Birch, AVis.- Upper St. Croix C, St. P., M. & O . . . 428 

Wilmar, Minn.— Lake St. P., M. & M 513 

Winneconne, Wis.-Lake Poygan C, M. & St. P 189 

Winnipeg, Manitoba.— Red River St. P., M. & M 868 

Withee, Wis.-Black River Wis. Cent 311 

Worthington . Minn.— Lake C, St. P., M. & O. .. 601 



96 



WISCONSIN STATE PARK. 



THE STATE PAEK. 

Near the northern extremity of the State of Wisconsin, and quite 
unknown to the general public, is a tract of land comprising over 
fifty thousand acres, which has been set aside by the State for a 
public park. A more natural park or game-preserve could hardly 
have been chosen in all the northern country. It is heavily tim- 
bered, in places quite marshy, and contains a myriad of small lakes, 
with the usual accompanying brooks and rivulets, so plentifully dis- 
tributed over our northern territory. 

Many of these lakes are covered m part with the wild rice, so 
alluring to aquatic fowl, besides which, the sportsman can always 
depend upon finding in a district of this nature a plentiful supply of 
the finny game. 

It was a wise and far-seeing man who first proposed to the Wis- 
consin Scions to set aside a vast tract of almost primeval forest- 
land for the benefit of the coming generation of sportsmen. It now 
only remains for some one, more public -spirited than his fellows, to 
propose, and urge until it is consummated, a plan for the propaga 
tion of such game, in the park, as has become extinct, or almost so, 
in this section of Wisconsin. A similar institution to the Fish 
Commission, should be maintained. The parif should be stocked 
with all game indigenous -to the country; wild-turkey, plover, swan, 
deer, elk and all the other species that are now lacking or liable 
to run out. 




M A-D-J^SjDJNb^^ LS: 




THE WOLF OF THE WATERS' 



Sints from an Old Hunter. 

When sleeping in the woods withoiit sufficient covering, lie with 
the stomach to the earth ; this prevents the heat generated in the 
stomach from escaping. 

If in a snow-storm keep snow below as well as above and 
around you. 

When in the woods without compass or the sun to guide jou, 
remember that the bark on the north side of a tree is always darter 
than on the south, and that if there be moss it is on the north or 
shady side. Also notice the top twig of the hemlock, for it always 
bends to the north. 

Never travel without matches in your pocket, for if you do not 
need a fire for its heat, you may require it to keep off mosquitoes. 
A mixture of oil of tar, sweet-oil and a little creosote is a splendid 



98 



HINTS FROM AN OLD HUNTER. 



preparation for the hands and face, where mosquitoes are trouble- 
some. 

In locating a camp, first consider well the lay of the ground. Se- 
lect as near as possible the north side of an opening or lake, so that 
the night breeze from the south which usually sets in about eight 
o'clock, will strike you. Then, if on high land, you will experience 
an exquisitely refreshing sleep, entirely free from mosquitoes 

HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS, which as a rule are first- 
class, costs the traveler usually $2 per day; occasionally at the 
more popular Summer Resorts the rates are $2. 50 to |3.00, but sel- 
dom higher, except for extra rooms, etc. 

I»IIIVATE FAMILIES in the larger towns often take summer 
boarders, and charge from $5 to $12 per week. 

SMALL BOATS are to let, at nearly all places of resort, and 
range from 50 cents to $1.00 ner dav the hio-her i:)rice as you go 
northward. 

GUIDES, OARSMEN AND COOKS, serve at from $2 to $3 
per day, and found. 




CAMP ON 



EAGLE RIVER. 



ON THE FLAMBEAU. 



99 



How to Put Up a Mainmoch, 

If you desire a hammock for sitting or swinging purposes only, 
then tie both ends equally elevated. If for reclining purooses the 
head should be higher than the feet. 

A good rule is to fasten the hook for the head of the hammock 
six feet, three inches from the ground or floor, and the lower end 
three feet, three inches. The distance between the two should be 
eighteen or twenty feet, though fifteen feet will answer. The longer 
rope should be at the bottom end, as this makes swinging much 
easier and more agreeable. 

For outdoor use when two trees are not available, the hook 
for the head may be fastened upon the tree or the rope tied 
to it, and a post set in the ground at the required distance for 
the lower end. In this manner, shade can be secured though 
the lounger be the possessor of but a single tree. The fastenings 
and rope should be strong and secure beyond a perad venture. Tlie 
closely woven hammocks are best, as they do not catch the buttons 
nor wear out so quickly. 



MIDNIGHT DIVERSION 

IN 

THE NORTHERN WILDS. 




THE NORTH-WESTERN 



199 SOUTH CLARK STREET, CHICAGO, 

Controls over 7,000,000 Acres of 

Miineral) Timbei? and Farming J_jands. 



We have Agents and Correspondents in all the principal cities of 
the North-west who are well posted in regard to lands in 
their vicinity. They are all perfectly reliable, and are mostly 
men of wealth and influence. 

We have in our employ a number of reliable explorers and 
land-hunters, who will locate interests of all kinds and in almost 
any section of the North-west. Tell us what you want, and if we 
do not suit you it will be strange indeed. The general manager 
of o^r association, Mr. G. F.Thomas, who is also president of the 
"Land Seekers Bureau of Information," is undoubtedly .better 
acquainted with the topography of the North-west than any 
other man, thus enabling us to transact much business that 
others cannot handle. Among the members of our Association 
are several of the noted land-men of Wisconsin, Minnesota and 
Michigan. 

We are agents for the sale of a large part of the RAILROAD 
LANDS of Wisconsin and Minnesota. We locate Government 
and State lands, homesteads, pre-emptions, etc. We organize 
SYNDICATES for the purpose of controlling and buying heavy 
landed interests. Safe investment of funds made with little cost 
and no risk. We are Agents for the sale of stock in the 

Apostle Islands Improvement Co., 

A SPLENDID INVESTMENT and if one should sometime 
have an inclination to visit these beautiful " Summer Isles of a 
Northern Sea"' it would be more than pleasant to know that you 
own an interest there. 

Parties desiring summer homes, unsurpassed in America, should 
correspond with us. 



LXST OF L^IsTDS 

Belonging to the NORTH-WESTERN LAND ASSOCIATION 

AND OTHERS, FOR SALE AT BED-ROCK PRICES. 



PINE LANDS.— In Northern Minnesota and Wis- 
consin, large and small lots, and cheap for cash. 

HEMLOCK.— 200,000 acres for sale. TANNERY WANTED. 

HARDWOOD LANDS.— Three large tracts on Up- 
per Wisconsin River, also a large amount in the 
Upper Peninsula of Michigan, some in Minnesota and 
Central Wisconsin. The latter is in small lots, suit- 
able for men who wish to make for themselves homes, 
and have but a few dollars to begin with. 

PRAIRIE LANDS.— In South-western Minnesota, 
no better in the v^orld. They can be bought at from 
$7 to $10 per acre. Any amount of Dakota Lands for 
sale or trade. 

IMPROVED FARMS in all sections of the North- 
west. 

STOCK FARM— 3,000 acres near St. Paul, (a good 
speculation for a syndicate.) 

TOWN SITES.— We have several fine locations, on 
established Railroads in Wisconsin and Minnesota. 

HOTEL SITES. — Always a few desirable locations. 

WATER PRIVILEGES.— Locations first-class. 

STONE QUARRIES.— Lake Superior Sand Stone 
and others. 

SUMMER RESORTS.— Some delightful situations 
on beautiful lakes, etc. Lots for sale. 

TOWN LOTS.— In Ashland, Washburn, Bayfield, 
West Superior (the new town), and other towns scat- 
tered over the North-west. 

Address all Communications to 

N.W. Land As sociation, 

199 S. CLARK ST., CHICAGO. 



OFFICE OF THE 

LiiD SEEKERS' MM OF liilAfl 



(INCORPORATED 1885), 



MADISON, WIS 



OFFICERS: 
G. F. THOMAS, President. E. C. COLEMAN, Vice-President, 

L. C. JONES, Secretary. E. L. HITCHCOCK, Treasurer. 



OBJECT OF THE ASSOOIATIOK 

Firstly: To furnish its patrons with vahiable information relating 
to any and all sections of land lying in the Northwestern States and 
Territories — their geographical, topographical and geological ar- 
rangement, or condition of same. 

Secondly: For the procurement of special Railroad and Hotel ac- 
commodations, reduced rates, etc. 

Thirdly: For the organization of summer excursions to Lake Su- 
perior and the numerous other important and interesting localities 
of the Great Northwest. 

The facilities possessed by said Association for acquiring these 
unusual and peculiar advantages are mainly due to Mr. G. F. Thomas, 
the Association's founder and first president. Mr. Thomas, in his 
literary pursuits — searching after early history, traditions and the 
hidden objects of wonder, so profusely distributed over our northern 
and western America — has unusual advantages for learning the *' lay 
of the land," as it were. During his many years spent in explora- 
tions and research, associating with the Pioneer and the Woodsman, 
and at times living among the Indians, that he might learn their 
habits and some of their secrets, Mr. Thomas has ever kept a sharp 
lookout — noting the topography of the country wherein he traveled, 
its advantages, etc., and without the least egotism we feel justified 
in claiming for him knowledge of the Northwest equalling, if, indeed, 
not surpassing, that of any other one man. 

Outside the members themselves, several of whom have an ex- 
tensive acquaintance in the Northwest, our Association has nearlv 



two hundred correspondents, located at various advantageous points 
between Lake Huron and the Columbia River on the Pacific Coast, 
many of whom have spent a large portion of their lives in exploring, 
surveying, etc., while others again are old liunters, trappers and 
Indian traders. 

From these and other sources, our "Bureau of Information " is 
enabled to offer the general public, or that portion thereof which 
may see fit to become patrons of the enterprise, an almost inexhaust- 
ible mine of wealth — a source of prosperity. 

Every purchaser of an " Annual Certificate Card," costing only 
ten (10) dollars, is entitled to the use of the "Bureau's" fund of 
information, by correspondence or otherwise, as well as all other 
aids or benefits which the Association may be able to confer. There 
is printed upon the back of each of the ''Annual Certificate Cards'^ 
a list of first-class Hotels and Real Estate Agents specially recom- 
mended by the " Bureau of Information." 

The price of an Annual Certificate Card — $10— is extremely low, 
considering the expense and labor required in first becoming capable 
of instituting a Bureau of Information of such vast scope and pros- 
pects as that of the aforesaid institution. 

From the Bureau of Information the Speculator can learn that 
which will often enable him to secure a fortune. 

Tlie Lumberman can have timber land located and estimated by 
competent and experienced woodsmen. 

The Tourist and Sportsman can know " their best route," and also 
obtain descriptive and historical literature concerning the same. 

The Poor Man can learn where to homestead or pre-empt to the 
best advantage. 

The Tradesman, the Mechanic, the 3Uller, or the Professional Man, 
can, by applying to the Land Seekers' Bureau of Information, usually 
find a desirable location. 

References.— Mr. Thomas personally refers to Preston, Kean &. 
Co., Bankers, Chicago; Merchants' Exchange Bank, Milwaukee. 



ALL CORRESPONDENCE SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO 

THE LAiND SEEKERS' BUREAU OF INFORMATIOX, 

l\/o. 20, W. Wilson St , MADISON. Wis. 




FALLS OF THE LITTLE MONTREAL RIVER. M., L. S. & W. RY. 
NEAR ASHLAND. 

HUNTING, FISHING AND PLEASURE BOATS 

Constructed in the Best Manner, of Cedvir or Pine. 




Our boats are built after approved models and cannot fail to 
give satisfaction. A good clinker built boat, 13 feet long, 36-incli 
beam, weight, 50 to 75 pounds, with oars, $20. Boats built to order. 
Special rates to clubs ordering a number at one time. Send stamp 
for catalogue. Sail and Steam Yachts built to order. 

POWELL & DOUGLAS, 

-WAUEEGAIT, ILL. 

Manufacturers of Windmills, Pumps, etc. 



Ja'08 



FPLIOE 50 OEISTTS. 



THE 

SPORTSMAN'S GUIDE 

TO THE 

NORTHERN LAKES; 



WITH HINTS ON 



FISHING, HUNTING AND TRAPPING, 



BY GEORGE FRANCIS, 

ArTlliil! nr " r RnFvn« nir the LAND OP LAKES,' ETC. 



ILLUSTRATED 




C IIICAGO : 

O. F. THOMAS, PUBLISHER, 
199 South Clark Street. 



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